Shades of Gray: Year Two
by PotterScar
Summary: Sinister plots revolve around the Marauders as they enter their second year, unaware of the adventure that awaits them at Hogwarts. As the Dark Lord's threat grows, Sirius and the Marauders must make the choice between what is right and what is easy.
1. Summer Days

**Hey guys, I'm back, with Shades of Gray: Year Two.**

**This story is dedicated to SnufflestheInsane, my 100th reviewer of Year One. Thank you Snuffles, and to everyone else that reviewed!**

**For any new readers, this is the sequel to Shades of Gray: Year One, so read that first.**

**I'm feeling really nice right now, so I'm going to give you a few hints as to what happens in the Marauders' second year of Hogwarts:**

**1. One Marauder loses a close family member.  
****2. Lily's threaded into the story more.  
****3. James and one other Marauder make the Quidditch team.  
****4. A character from Year One will die over the summer.  
****5. Sirius finds out something disturbing about his father.  
****6. Remus' secret is uncovered.  
****7. Sirius has the answer to Remus' problem... the illegal answer.  
****8. A menacing plot is brewing involving the Marauders...  
****9. Benji isn't enrolled in Hogwarts anymore...**

**There you go, guys! In your reviews, you're more than welcome to guess at the hints (like who loses the family member, who makes the team besides James, where's Benji, etc.).**

**Happy guessing!**

**Also, this story is told from all angles. This first chapter is from all four Marauders' and Lily's POVs, then it will mainly be Sirius and James' POVs afterwards, with some Lily thrown in there.**

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter One:

Sinister Plots and Tough Choices

by PotterScar

**_June 26th, 1972_**

The sun rose quietly over the suburbs just outside of London. Cozy-looking houses lined the streets, with green lawns and lived-in looks. One house, for example, had a little plastic toy car that a child could ride in, and another had a football (**A/N: Not an American football, a British football, or a soccer ball for Americans**). One house had a bike laying in the front yard, and inside of that house slept a young, redheaded girl.

Sunlight streamed through the uncurtained windows, and the petite girl sleeping peacefully in her white-blanketed bed stirred restlessly, and soon, her emerald green eyes opened slowly.

The girl groaned, squinting in the sunlight and dragging herself out of the bed at the unheard-of hour (seven o'clock). She looked out the window at the already beautiful-looking day.

Lily Evans grinned happily. "Perfect day to go for a morning bike ride, right Muffin?" she said to the tabby cat that still laid curled at the end of her bed. The cat mewed sleepily, opening one eye and peering at her, before the eye fluttered shut.

Lily quickly dressed, pulling on some mesh shorts, a tee shirt she pulled from somewhere out of the closet, and a light jacket, before pulling on socks and stuffing her feet into some shoes and dashing down the stairs, picking up a few pounds from her dresser along the way.

She entered the Evans' quaint little kitchen, to find her mother, Rosa Evans, sitting at the round table, reading the newspaper and sipping some tea.

"Hey Mum," she said cheerfully, going right to the refrigerator and digging through it, pulling out a carton of orange juice and pouring herself a glass, before setting about making herself some toast.

"Lily, dear, you're up early," Rosa remarked, looking over the top of the newspaper at her daughter. "When you're done making your breakfast, come over here, I'd like a word about a story I read in today's paper."

Lily looked over at her mother, confused, but she nodded, throwing her toast on a plate and carrying her breakfast over to the table, sitting in a seat.

"Honey, I read a homicide story in the paper, a murder that occurred on the other side of London," she continued.

"Okay..." Lily said, waiting for her mother to go on.

"Well, Lily, the strangest thing is, the bodies didn't have any hint of being anything but healthy, other than being dead. They also found a wooden stick near them, and the way they described it sounds like the wand that you use. Is there something you're not telling me? I've been reading these stories all year, and your father is just as mystified as I am."

Lily sighed. Her father, Lewis Evans, was a police officer for the surrounding area, and Lily knew that he must be completely frustrated about these murders. "There's some nut going around murdering people. He's a wizard, Lord Vandermot or something like that," she said. "It will probably pass over soon..."

An awkward silence fell as Lily began to munch on her toast and Rosa continued to sip her tea. After about ten minutes, Lily couldn't take it any more. She threw out the remainder of her toast, said to her mother, "I'm going out for a bike ride," and left the kitchen.

"Be careful!" her mother called after her as Lily shut the front door and jogged down onto the lawn, picking up her bike helmet from the porch and jamming it on her head, clicking the chin-strap shut as she crossed the lawn. Picking up her bike, she took a deep breath of the morning summer air, and boarded the bike, rolling down the rest of the lawn and onto the sidewalk.

She pedaled, picking up speed as she traveled down her quiet little street. Emerging onto another one identical to hers, Lily crossed the street after making sure a car wasn't speeding down the road.

She already knew where she was going; the small shopping center near her home. It was where she went frequently in the mornings, as it opened early. Lily liked to go around seven-thirty or so, because, for some strange reason, that's when a lot of people liked to go, and she liked being around people.

Parking her bike in the bike racks that stretched across the already crowded parking lot, she locked up and put away her helmet, sticking her hand in her pockets to make sure her money was still there.

Weaving through the crowd of people, she made a beeline for her favorite store: the book store.

Stepping into the little store, she breathed in the scent that she'd missed while she was at Hogwarts. Lily greeted the cashiers, before racing to the back of the store, where her favorite books, the classics, were kept.

It was good to be back again.

* * *

"Dad! Dad!" James called, racing after his father, Daniel Potter. The brown-haired man slowed, turning around to look at his son.

The Potters had been making an effort to pull together their family again. Both Mr. and Mrs. Potter took more time off work and stopped working overtime, and Mrs. Potter was home on Mondays, Thursdays, and the weekends all day.

James felt a pang of guilt at keeping his father from work, as the man was already late and he'd been making such an effort to stay home with James, but the young Potter felt this was an important matter.

"DadIwannatryoutforQuidditchthisyearanewbroom'soutcanIpleasepleasepleasehaveit?" James said in one big rush, panting slightly.

"James, I didn't understand a word of that," Daniel said, rolling his eyes at his over-excited child.

"Dad, I'm gonna be a second year and try out for the Quidditch team, and there's a new broom out–" James started hopefully, but he was cut off.

"James, I don't have time to take you to Diagon Alley this week or next week, but we'll go before school starts," he said. James grinned from ear to ear, thanking his dad profusely and running off to write a letter to Sirius.

Pulling out some parchment, a bottle of ink, and his eagle-feather quill, James busied himself with writing to his best friend.

_Sirius,_

_Dad said yes! I'm getting the new Cleansweep sometime next month, maybe you'll be over here then? I hope everything's alright at your house, Regulus sounds like a prat._

_James_

Folding up the parchment, he whistled softly to his owl, who was sleeping on his perch in the corner. Godric awoke blearily, fluttering over to James the second he saw that the boy had a letter for him to deliver.

"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," he told the owl, who fixed him with amber eyes to show that he understood, before sweeping out the open window.

James followed the owl, watching it become a black speck on the horizon. He stayed there, letting the wind ruffle his hair as he watched garden gnomes tip-toe into his mother's begonias. Watching the potato-like creatures venture through the garden, James let his thoughts wander absently.

He was really worried about Sirius. After Christmas, he'd wondered what Sirius' home life was like. It couldn't be pleasant, if Sirius was slapped for getting into a house that his parents disliked...

James sighed, rubbing his sore eyes, before crawling back to bed for a few more hours of sleep. The sun wasn't even properly up, after all.

* * *

"_Boy!_ Get down here!" came the screech of a woman from the drawing room of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. The "boy" she was referring to winced, looking up from the letter he was writing to one of his best friends, Remus Lupin.

Heaving himself unwillingly out of his chair, Sirius Black trotted across the length of his large, gloomy room and unlocked the door, emerging in the hall.

Sirius scowled; he could barely see three feet in front of him, it was that dark in the hallway, and it was nearly noon! Sirius smirked, dashing over to a few windows and throwing open the curtains, letting sunlight spill into the hallway. The portraits on the wall squealed, shielding their eyes.

Hurrying down a few flights of stairs, Sirius soon entered the dark drawing room, where his mother and father were regally sitting. A small bundle of robes was at his father's side, and Sirius barely noticed them before his mother began speaking.

"Sit, Sirius," she said with an affection in her voice that Sirius had not heard since before Regulus was born. Slightly suspicious, Sirius took a seat across from his parents, his eyes flickering from each of their faces.

"Sirius, we have a... proposal for you," Orion started. Sirius furrowed his brow, watching his parents, still silent.

"As you know, there's a man out there who has taken a stand and is defending the pureblood right. Now, you are certainly not old enough yet–" Orion started, and Sirius' eyes grew wide. Was his father asking him to–?

"No," Sirius said rather simply, staring down his shocked parents.

"Sirius, perhaps you heard me wrong. He is defending our right as purebloods! Sirius, the Black family would be more than happy to welcome you back into our ranks if you agree to join our Lord at age seventeen."

"'Our Lord'?" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow, but he went slack-jawed when he realized what the small bundle was.

Orion handed the black robes to Sirius. "He accepts junior members for a short time. You would be trained in the Dark Arts. Consider. We would welcome you back to the family."

Once Sirius took his leave, still holding the robes, he ran up the stairs to his room as fast as he could, ignoring the portraits reprimanding him for opening the curtains.

Unfolding the robes on his bed, he ran his hand along the silky black material, looking at the crest on the chest; a skull with a serpent emerging from his mouth.

He felt torn. As much as Sirius didn't want to admit it, he wanted to be accepted by his family. But this was wrong, wasn't it?

_But what could it hurt?_ Sirius found himself thinking, and he hit himself. It could hurt a lot. It wasn't him. If the school found out, Gryffindor wouldn't trust him. If his friends found out, they would desert him.

Sirius sighed, turning away from the robes. _Since when was being twelve so hard?_

* * *

"Remus, honey? Are you awake?" called a sweet female voice from the kitchen.

As Remus stirred, he got a strange feeling of deja vu that he couldn't really shake. Shivering, he pulled on a sweatshirt over his pajamas, stuffing his feet into slippers and shuffling down the small hallway of the Lupins' one-story home.

"Morning, M-M-Mum," Remus said, yawning in the middle of his sentence. Sarah Lupin giggled softly, placing a plate of bacon, kippers, eggs, and toast in front of her son, who dug in.

"Remus, dear, you never told me much about how your school year went," Sarah said, sitting at the table and moving the newspaper that she had been reading out of the way. A photograph took up a good bit of the page. It was of a house that was burning to the ground, and a ghostly looking skull with a serpent as a tongue was drifting above it. The headline blared, "**ZAYTON FAMILY KILLED IN DARK LORD ATTACK**". Remus frowned slightly, as the name Zayton rang a bell, but he answered his mother.

"It was really good," he said honestly, and Sarah smiled.

"Did you make lots of friends?" she asked, masking the slightly hopeful tone in her voice.

"Yeah, I made three really good friends; Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew," Remus said, before taking a large bite of egg.

"Oh, your father knows Daniel Potter," Sarah said, smiling again. The name Black rang a bell in her head, but she couldn't quite place it. She would have to ask her husband, Blake, who worked at the Ministry. "So, how's the schoolwork?"

"I placed in the top two in my year on my exams," Remus said, grinning. "First boy."

"Oh, Remus, dear, that's wonderful!" Sarah gushed, smiling broadly. Her son was having a great time at school, apparently.

"The work isn't that hard, Peter has a bit of trouble with it. Somehow, Sirius and James can get top grades and barely study."

"I knew those type of people at Hogwarts. They're the kind that will go on to do some impressive things," Sarah commented, and Remus smirked inwardly. "Do you like your teachers?"

"Yeah, most of them are really nice, especially Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall dislikes James and Sirius because they're always joking around, but she's a really nice teacher. She's the Head of my house."

Sarah leaned over, kissing her son on his forehead and picking up her newspaper. "Well, Remus, dear, it sounds like you've had an impressive year. You have summer homework, I take?"

"Yes, I'm nearly through," Remus said proudly, and Sarah grinned again, ruffling his hair.

"That's my boy," she said, opening her newspaper and reading the front page.

The next few minutes passed in silence, save the scraping of Remus' fork and Sarah's soft sighs as she read the headline story.

"Horrible, just horrible," she finally said, folding up the newspaper again.

"What?" Remus asked, looking up. Sarah sighed again.

"That madman, Voldemort, killed a family in west London last night. The Zayton family. They had a daughter, Grace, that was your age. She was a Gryffindor..."

Remus paled slightly. Grace Zayton had been a Gryffindor first year girl. She'd been fairly pretty, with dark hair and dark eyes, but Remus had never payed much attention to anyone but James, Sirius, and Peter. A shiver passed through him.

"Remus, dear, are you alright?" his mother asked, concerned.

"Yeah, Mum, I'm fine," Remus mumbled, pushing around the remaining eggs on his plate absently. "Look, I... I still have homework to do..."

As Remus walked to his room, a sick feeling grew in his stomach. All this time, Voldemort had seemed like an outside threat, something that couldn't touch him. But the Dark wizard had killed off a child his age, and suddenly, Remus realized that nobody was safe from this man.

Shivering, Remus walked into his room and closed the door.

* * *

"Peter, dear, go to the store for me, will you? We're low on bread," June Pettigrew said, leaning over the counter in the lobby to hand her son a few pounds.

Peter sighed. He'd wanted to go up and work on his homework before he forgot, but apparently, he wasn't going to get to do that. "Yes, Mum," he sighed, taking the money and stuffing it into his jeans pockets, turning away from the stairs he'd been about to climb and instead walking across the lobby and out the thick glass-and-wood door.

The normally quiet suburban London streets were unusually restless, and Peter took notice of this, frowning to himself as he hurried down the sidewalk toward the corner grocery store. Something didn't feel... right.

Peter continued down the long, long street, growing increasingly nervous. Every alleyway he passed, he thought he saw a dark, robed figure in the shadows, but when he stopped to get a better look, it was gone. He figured it was his imagination.

In his panic, Peter barely noticed what was happening around him as he passed a smoldering house with police officers and crowds of Muggles around it. The officers looked puzzled as they combed through the rubble. Lurking around the edges were oddly dressed individuals – Aurors.

Finally, still rather panicked, Peter reached the small grocery store, rushing into it and closing the door behind him, not seeing the three dark, menacing figures lurking next to the store, watching his every move.

"That's the boy's friend, Pettigrew," one hissed to the other two.

"If we track his letters, it should lead us right to the brat," another muttered, and the three looked satisfied with themselves as they Disapparated.

* * *

(**Okay, guys, this was originally the end of the chapter, but I thought it seemed rather short for the first chapter of a new story, so I continued it... enjoy!**)

* * *

"Checkmate, Dad," James said, grinning as his knight moved a few spaces. Daniel sighed. That was the fifth straight game he'd lost.

"Let's start over," Daniel said, as the pieces zoomed back to their spaces. James grinned wider. Finally, some quality time with his dad!

"Daniel? You there?" Green flames had flickered to life out of nowhere and the head of Jamie Prewett appeared.

Daniel frowned, standing up and going to the fireplace. "Yeah, Jamie? Today's my day off," he said off the bat. He didn't exactly want to go into work today.

Jamie looked apologetically at James. "I know, Daniel, but you know Chris Zayton? He and his family were... were murdered last night," Jamie started. Daniel's eyes widened.

"Crap... and that means I have to come in and file a few murder reports in the Department of Homicides, doesn't it?" Daniel said, looking over his shoulder at James, who wasn't looking at him.

"Yes," Jamie sighed. "Look, Daniel, all of the other Unspeakables are either on vacation or already working on the Zayton case. I would get Rookwood, but his wife just had a child, Augustus, so I don't want to drag him away from home."

Daniel sighed again. "Alright, I'll be there soon," Daniel said, standing up. Jamie nodded, his head disappearing from the fire place as the green flames died.

Daniel turned to his son, who just looked up blankly at him. "James–" he started, but his young son cut him off.

"It's alright, Dad," James said quietly, his voice flat. Daniel started to say something else, but James had turned and left the room.

Daniel sighed once again, exiting out a different door to change into his Unspeakable robes and to leave to go to the Ministry of Magic, where he was needed, yet again.

* * *

**Well, I think that's a decent first chapter! Review, PLEASE!**

**Coming up in Chapter Two: Sirius meets the Dark Lord and makes a decision, Daniel Potter has an interesting run-in with his colleague, Orion Black, a mysterious plot is unfolding, and we are introduced to a few Death Eaters who will play a vital role in the story. The chapter will most likely be longer than this one.**

**Okay, guys, if you haven't figured it out, this story, unlike the last, will be less about feelings and the Marauders' friendship and more about Voldemort, Death Eaters, and Sirius' family... plus this one will have A LOT of action!**

**Well, I'm out for now! My friend Sarah's coming over! YAY!**

**33333333**

**PotterScar**


	2. Of Kidnaps and Newspaper Stories

**Whoa, guys, thanks for the reviews! I posted the story and logged off at 2:15 PM on the 22nd, and when I got back on three hours later, I had 6 reviews! Thank you!**

**Also, thanks to the reviewers who took a chance at guessing, a lot of you were right!**

**I have some GOOD news and some BAD news:**

**GOOD: I will be posting a new story soon... well, not really a story. It's a series of newspapers from the Marauder's seventh year, called the Lion's Den. It's a Gryffindor-only paper, and I personally think it's going to be funny. Also, updates for this story won't be delayed by the new one.**

**BAD: We're reading Frankenstein in English, and it takes me forever to read crap I don't like, and I particularly hate this book. So that will delay updates a bit.**

**Well, I don't want to hold up the chapter any longer... so here it is, chapter two! Hope you guys like it!**

Chapter Two:

Of Kidnaps and Newspaper Stories

by PotterScar

"M'lord," Orion Black began, as he knelt at a handsome man's feet, "Sirius is considering the position."

"Excellent," the handsome man said in a cold, otherwise emotionless voice. "I have been told of his great talent. He will be a welcome asset to the Death Eaters after he leaves Hogwarts."

"Of course, m'lord," Orion agreed, looking up at his master. "Is Sirius the only child?"

"Of course not," Lord Voldemort snapped. "Three Durmstrang students have also agreed. We are also going to be taking some in by... force," he said, his voice saturated with glee.

Orion looked startled, as did many other Death Eaters. "Like who, m'lord?" Sebastian Lestrange asked, bravely voicing the question others were wondering.

"Nott, Malfoy, and Hollington know, and they are all that need to," Voldemort said coldly in response, and Lestrange looked apologetic.

"Of course, m'lord, please forgive me," he mumbled, bowing slightly, nervousness lacing his features.

"This once, Lestrange. Next time you speak out of line, I will not be so lenient," Voldemort hissed, his black eyes narrowed at the stocky, well-built man, who nodded fervently.

"You are dismissed," he said, turning away from the dozen Death Eaters that made up his "inner circle": Sebastian Lestrange, Abraxas Malfoy, Edward Nott, Orion Black, Keith Hollington, Matthew Zabini, Kevin Bullstrode, Percival Parkinson, Eric Avery, Jonathan Richardson, Jasper Quentin, and Stuart Vixen.

Hollington, Malfoy, and Nott shuffled out together into the hall as the other Death Eaters dispersed, some taking Floo and others Apparating. Orion bid them a good day, before he Disapparated back home, before he would go to work.

"We need to find that stupid boy," Hollington hissed to Nott and Malfoy, who nodded quickly. Malfoy ran his hand through his cropped blonde hair.

"We've got a street, right?" The other two nodded. "Okay, we look at every house in that neighborhood. The biggest one is bound to belong to them..."

Nott and Hollington grinned. "Let's go now and get the job over with," Nott whispered, ready to Disapparate, but Malfoy grabbed his arm.

"No, you idiot! This has to be planned!" Malfoy snapped at Nott, who nodded meekly.

"Okay, then. We find out the house, and we wait until the _entire _family is home. Maybe we can kill off that stupid Daniel Potter too, or maybe his pretty little wife," Hollington hissed, an evil grin on his face.

"Don't get too wrapped up in your excitement, Keith," Malfoy warned. "We're there for the boy, James, and nothing else."

Nott furrowed his brow. "Why does he want that brat so badly?" he asked, 'he' being the Dark Lord.

"He's a pureblood and talented, just like Black's kid. Our Lord most likely believes that with a little work, we can turn him. It shouldn't be too hard," Hollington said with a shrug.

"Alright, then, come to my house, nobody'll be home; Lucius and his mother are in Italy, or somewhere close to there," Malfoy said with a shrug, sounding as if he didn't know and didn't care. "We can properly plan this thing out and hopefully execute it by next week."

"Perfect," Nott and Hollington chorused, and on that note, the three Death Eaters left.

* * *

Daniel Potter hurried through the Ministry, his black-and-gold work robes billowing behind him as he half-walked, half-ran to the Department of Mysteries.

"In a hurry, Daniel?" asked a smooth voice behind him, with a slight chuckle. Daniel nearly groaned, turning around to face Orion Black. The normally sullen man looked unusually giddy.

"Yes, there were a few murders last night," Daniel said tiredly, itching to finish his job so he could get back home to James and Michelle.

"Ah, yes, the Zaytons. Horrible," Orion said, but he didn't look the least bit sorry. Daniel raised one eyebrow silently, looking at the other man eye-to-eye.

"Any reason you're so happy?" Daniel asked flatly, and Orion's smirk just grew wider.

"Oh, nothing. I'm attending a rather exciting event tonight, and I'm just looking forward to it so much," he said, and glee danced in his normally cold gray eyes. "Well, I must be off, lots to do. Goodbye, Daniel." With that, he left Daniel Potter.

Daniel shook his head. The way he'd said "goodbye" to him, it had a finality about it...

Shaking it off, Daniel followed the hall Orion took, leading him to the Department of Homicides, thoughts buzzing around his head wildly.

"Oi! Potter!" shouted a voice. Daniel bit back a groan; was he ever going to get the work he needed to do done? Turning around, he caught sight of Alastor Moody, a new addition to the Auror force, striding down the hallway after him.

"A letter came into the Auror department for you," Moody said stiffly, handing Daniel the letter. "It's gone through inspection and all, it's jinx free," he said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Say hi to the misses for me," he said, turning to take his leave.

"Of course," Daniel replied absently, turning the letter over in his hands. The writing on the front was only slightly familiar and in a loopy, slightly slanted scrawl, stating his name and occupation. A memory stirred in him, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen the handwriting before.

_Daniel Potter  
__Unspeakable  
__Department of Mysteries  
__Ministry of Magic  
__South London_

Daniel turned it over again, not noticing that Moody had left him. A old-fashioned wax seal closed the envelope, and suddenly, Daniel grinned. The seal was a serpent, lion, eagle, and badger surrounding an H.

Wedging his finger under the envelope flap, he unstuck the seal, withdrawing the thick parchment letter.

_Daniel,_

_Spies in Voldemort's circle have gotten wind of an attack on a Wizarding family. I have sent a letter not only to you, but to the Lupin, Weasley, Prewett, McKinnon, Fenwick, Trenton, and Susanna families. I would not worry too much about it, but be prepared. Enclosed is a guide on protecting you and your family that may come in handy, but always use your first instinct._

_Sincerely,  
__Professor Dumbledore_

Daniel's eyes widened in worry as he read the letter, and suddenly, he realized why Orion had been so happy looking.

"That slimy bastard," Daniel growled under his breath, before stuffing the letter in his pocket and power-walking the rest of the way to the Department of Homicides, determined to finish his filing quickly so he could go home and protect his family.

* * *

"Remus, could you help me clean up the dishes?" called Sarah Lupin to her son, who was curled up on the couch in the living room, doing his Transfiguration homework.

"Be right there, Mum," Remus hollered back, standing up and tossing his textbook, parchment, ink bottle, and quill to the side (thankfully, the ink bottle was corked). As he started to leave the living room, he heard a noise behind him, coming from the fireplace. Turning around, he stared at the black, ash-filled brick fireplace, not seeing anything. Just as he was about to turn around, green flames erupted in the grate, and a small envelope was suddenly catapulted into the room.

"Er... Mum?" he called out to the kitchen, leaning over and tentatively picking up the thick, parchment envelope. It looked so much like his Hogwarts letter. On the front, it said,

_Blake and Sarah Lupin  
__Kitchen and Bedroom  
__9087CanusRoad  
__Outside of London  
__England_

"Yes, dear?" Sarah asked, striding out to the living room where her son stood, turning an envelope over in his hands. "What's that?"

"I dunno... it just sort of popped out of the grate after a bunch of Floo flames appeared..." he said, handing the letter to his mother.

Sarah glanced at the address, before shouting up the stairs, "Blake, honey, come down here!"

There were a few muffled thumps, some cursing, a door opening and closing, and then some more thumps as tall, brunette Blake Lupin trotted down the stairs, looking sleepy.

"Yes?" he asked sleepily, and Sarah merely thrust the letter at him. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he read the letter, his blue eyes beginning to widen in alarm.

"Why would they –" he started, but halted when Sarah looked pointedly at Remus. "Leave, Remus," Blake said, and Remus quietly complied, leaving his book and homework behind and leaving the room.

"Why would they want to attack _us_?" Blake continued to his wife, unaware that his son was crouched at the door, listening. "I mean, we're just poor half-bloods, what would they want with us?"

"Dear, it's probably just a false alarm," Sarah said softly. "He listed other families here too, the Prewetts, the Weasleys, the Potters..."

Remus gasped softly, getting up and running back to his room.

* * *

Daniel hurriedly signed out at the front desk, grabbing his cloak out of the hall closet and tossing it hurriedly over his shoulders, clasping the silver hook at the neck and grabbing a handful of glittery green powder out of the Floo pot and tossing it into one of the fireplaces. Stepping into the flames, he cried out, "Number 8, Snidget Boulevard!"

He stumbled out of the grate of his house, immediately looking around himself worriedly.

_Relax, you old fool,_ Daniel thought to himself. The house, of course, was intact, and his son and wife were in the sitting room. James was scribbling on a piece of parchment, and a textbook was open in his lap, while Michelle was reading Witch Weekly.

"Hello, dear," Michelle greeted him. James smiled a half-smile, returning to his homework quickly.

Daniel forced a smile, throwing his cloak on the ground and lowering himself onto his chair shakily. Michelle watched him closely, concerned. "Daniel, honey, are you alright?" she asked, putting down her tabloid.

"Yeah, I'm –" Daniel said, but was cut off by an explosion in the front of the house. James jumped, looking alarmed, while both of the Potter parents jumped to their feet, withdrawing their wands.

There was another explosion, and the door of the sitting room. Michelle shrieked, James tossed his homework to the ground, fishing around in his pockets for his wand, and Daniel stood protectively in front of his family as dark, cloaked figures streamed into the room, numbering about ten.

"All we want is the boy," the one in the front growled. He was standing near a significantly shorter figure that was shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"James?" Daniel asked, shocked, and the Death Eater in the lead took advantage of the opportunity, throwing a Dark curse his way. Unable to block it in time, Daniel Potter crumpled to the ground.

Michelle whimpered, though she shoved her son, who had his wand out, behind her.

"Move, you silly woman," another Death Eater growled, as the men had their wands on the quivering lady, but Michelle would not move aside.

"Move and we won't hurt you!" he barked again, but Michelle still refused to move aside and let her son be taken... or worse.

"Fine then," the Death Eater huffed, sounding annoyed, before waving his wand. The nonverbal curse sent Mrs. Potter sprawling.

James was now backed up against the wall, feebly trying to curse the Death Eaters, who began to laugh. The shortest one backed up several steps, shaking.

"Let's just grab him and get out of here," one of the Death Eaters growled, stepping forward and grabbing James' arm. The black-haired boy tried to pull away, but the Death Eater's grip was too strong.

Another Death Eater grabbed the short figure's arm, Disapparating, and the Death Eater with James left as well.

* * *

_30 minutes earlier_

"Sirius! Get down here immediately!" Orion Black cried up the stairs, shoving his Ministry cloak into the hall closet.

Sirius looked up from a book he'd been skimming. "Coming, Father!" he replied with a sigh, getting up and leaving his room, going out to the hall.

Orion Black turned to another person standing nearby behind him, his hands sweaty. Voldemort just looked rather bored, his black eyes flicking around the dark hallway.

"Nice place," he commented casually, only making Orion even more nervous. He felt like he was going to piss himself at any time.

He was saved the displeasure of responding by Sirius, who'd arrived. Orion was relieved at his choice of clothing; he feared the boy would be wearing some of his ridiculous Gryffindor paraphernalia. Thankfully, he was wearing a clean, simple black robe with silver trimming along the wrists, neck, and bottom. His hair wasn't neat, but it was still elegantly falling around his face as he looked curiously at the handsome man that was not his father.

"Sirius, meet the Dark Lord Voldemort," Orion coolly introduced. Sirius' eyes widened, and Orion felt his heart nearly stop. _No, boy, don't lose control of your emotions!_

Sirius somehow managed to contain his shock, and his eyes ceased to widen, returning to indifference with some respect glittering in his eyes as he shook the Dark Lord's hand. Orion breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Sirius," began Voldemort, "your father tells me you are considering my program for children wishing to be future Death Eaters?"

"Yes, sir," Sirius said quietly, his eyes flicking to his father, then back to the Dark Lord, who looked satisfied.

"Are we taking him along?" Orion inquired, looking at his Lord, who seemed to analyze Sirius, before flicking one long, thin finger. Instantly, a set of black robes was conjured up, and Sirius caught them instinctively before they hit the ground.

"Bring him to _the house_," he emphasized the two words, "in those robes. He shan't participate, but he will watch and learn how a proper raid is done." With that, Voldemort disappeared.

* * *

"Boy, get down here, _NOW_!" Orion Black hollered up the stairs. Instead of black-and-gold Ministry robes, he was wearing simple black robes. His hood was up, ominously masking his face.

Sirius nearly tripped and fell down the stairs in his haste. His black robes were a tad too loose, but he'd get over it. He wasn't quite in the mood to infuriate his father.

"Finally!" Orion said, sharply slapping his son. Sirius yelped slightly, stumbling back; that would leave a nasty bruise.

"Let's go!" Orion said, firmly grabbing his son's arm. Sirius winced; his father's nails were digging into his arm.

A second later, Sirius experienced the oddest sensation as his father preformed Side-Along-Apparition.

The only way Sirius could describe Apparition was being forcibly shoved into a tiny tube the size of a Sickle. It was extremely uncomfortable, in other words. Sirius found himself almost glad when he appeared in a large, dark chamber.

About eight or so Death Eaters were milling around boredly, while Voldemort talked to three of them.

Orion dragged Sirius around, introducing him to the other Death Eaters of the Inner Circle, and soon, Voldemort waved his wand. There was a loud cracking noise, silencing everyone instantly.

"You know where to go," he said. The silence in the room was so absolute that the Dark Lord's quiet voice echoed and rang, reverberating off of rafters and the dark, moldy walls. "Go," he said simply, and Orion pushed Sirius' hood up, before preforming Side-Along-Apparition once again.

"Come on," he beckoned, and Sirius followed him up a tall hill, all the while squinting around him in the night. They were in a high-class neighborhood. Every house had lights on, and families were around their kitchen tables, enjoying dinner and family time. Sirius felt soothed by the comfortable atmosphere... well, until his father told him to get a move on "or else".

The small troop moved up the grassy hill, moving up to a large mansion. The lights were on, and in the sitting room window, there was a fire roaring in the gate, with three people sitting around it. Sirius couldn't get a good view of them.

"Father," Sirius said, trying to get a better look in the window, "who are those people?"

"The Potters," Orion said offhandedly, unaware of Sirius and James' friendship. Sirius' eyes widened, and he turned to look at his father so fast his neck cricked.

"Wh... what?" he whispered, looking horrified, though it was hidden by the mask. Orion turned to look at his son.

"The Potters," he repeated, his eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't have happened to make any personal connections with their son, James?" His tone was threatening.

"Of... of course not," Sirius choked, his heart wrenching painfully. Suddenly filled with shame, he turned his face towards the ground, and didn't look up until they'd appeared at the front door.

"Shall I?" Hollington smirked, and Abraxas Malfoy nodded his head slightly, giving him the go-ahead. Hollington raised his wand, and murmured, "Reducto," quietly, breaking the slightly uneasy silence that drifted over the group of Death Eaters; this was the biggest mission that they'd had yet. Attacking an old Wizarding family... many of the Death Eaters secretly thought that the Dark Lord was asking for trouble.

The door exploded open, and there was no sound coming from the sitting room other than someone jumping swiftly from a chair. Malfoy crossed the hallway to where he knew the sitting room was, holding his wand to the door and stating, "Reducto!" His voice was filled with excitement, and Sirius shivered.

_I'm sorry, James, _he thought to himself, dropping back as James' mother shrieked and his father jumped protectively in front of his small family as James searched his pockets for his wand. Sirius nearly smiled.

_Arrogant James,_ he thought affectionately, but his thoughts were cut short by his father's voice.

"All we want is the boy." Sirius' father's voice sounded significantly different. Instead of smooth and sophisticated, it sounded rough and savage.

"James?" Daniel Potter asked, confusion written all over his face. Sirius felt his stomach lurch, and suddenly, Sirius' father threw a Dark stunning curse at Daniel, and the older man crumpled to the ground.

Sirius couldn't help but throw an (unseen) glare at his father.

Michelle jumped in front of her son, whimpering slightly, and Sebastian Lestrange growled, "Move, you silly woman." Every Death Eater had their wand on Michelle, but the quivering woman would not move.

"Move and we won't hurt you!" Sebastian barked, anger filling his voice, but the determined woman wouldn't move away from her son. Sirius lowered his eyes to his feet, unwilling to watch, as angry tears filled his eyes.

"Fine then," Sebastion huffed, sounding irritated, before waving his wand wordlessly. The nonverbal curse sent James' mother sprawling to the ground. Sirius bit hard on his lower lip, trying to keep himself from crying out, before he chanced a look up again.

James was now backed up against the wall near the fireplace, trying to curse the Death Eaters. James, as a first year, didn't know any effective curses, and sadness filled Sirius' heart as the Death Eaters began to laugh. He backed away, ashamed. He was a horrible friend.

"Let's just grab him and get out of here," Percival Parkinson, whose temper was not to be messed with, snapped, stepping forward and grabbing James' arm tightly. James tried to pull away, but Parkinson's grip was too strong.

Orion's arm snaked from his side, grabbing his son's upper arm and preforming Side-Along-Apparition again. Sirius saw Parkinson Apparate with James, before he was sucked into the tiny tube once again.

* * *

_July 7th, 1972_

_**POTTER KIDNAPPED**_

_The Potter home on Snidget Boulevard was attacked last night. Daniel Potter (58) and his wife Michelle Potter (56) suffered minor injuries, though they went through the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent: the loss of a child._

_James Potter, 12, was kidnapped by the Death Eaters see page 5 for more information, who were also responsible for the murder of the Zayton family._

_The Potters request that if anyone has any information, they write them immediately. "We just want our son back," Michelle Potter choked through tears._

_For more information on Lord Voldemort, see page_ 6  
_For contact information, see next page_

**Wow, that was hard to write. I worked on it every day for a week! Wow!**

**Hope y'all had a satisfying Thanksgiving, I sure did! I ate half a pie by myself!**

**Coming in Chapter Three: The search for James Potter begins, Sirius has a fight with his father, leaving him in terrible condition, and Lord Voldemort wants Sirius as a Junior Death Eater. Will Sirius refuse?**

**Later,**

**PotterScar**


	3. Gone Without A Trace

**Hey guys! My new story, _The Lion's Den, _is up, so take a look at it! I've gotten really good feedback on it! Background information on the story is that The Lion's Den is a newspaper run by Gryffindor house (and written by Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Rita Skeeter, James Potter, and Lily Evans). It's pretty funny, so take a look!**

**Also, I have two new one-shots out, _For Everything _and _She Doesn't Deserve You_. Check 'em out!**

**IMPORTANT: Ignore the date on the newspaper story at the end of last chapter, as it is incorrect. The CORRECT date is June 27th, 1972. Also, a bit was added onto the newspaper story so... yeah.**

**Sorry this is so late, by the way. With the holidays coming, things have been hectic.**

Chapter Three:

Gone Without A Trace

by PotterScar

Sirius, this time, wasn't relieved to appear back in the large, dark, dank room he'd been in before. His chest was tight, panic was seizing him, and he felt as if the walls were closing in on him. He took a deep breath of air, and had nearly calmed himself when he caught sight of his best friend yelling and struggling against the two Death Eaters that were restraining him. One of them growled in annoyance, holding their wand to his temple. A flash of light later, James Potter was limp in the two Death Eater's grasp.

Sirius cried, "James!", jumping forward without thinking of the consequences. He didn't see his father's face flash in anger as Orion Black reached out to stop his son. He didn't feel his father's strong fingers wrap around his arm, holding the limb so tightly that it would leave bruises. The world was swirling around him, and he hardly noticed a difference when his father preformed Side-Along-Apparition. He didn't even notice when he appeared in his gloomy home.

The first thing he noticed was a sharp slap across his face, delivered by his father. He swayed slightly, but he didn't see his father standing before him; the image of his best friend, hostage, was burned into the back of his eyelids.

"What were you thinking!" Orion Black roared, delivering another hard slap to his son's face... well, more like a punch. Sirius staggered, his thoughts being pulled back to the present time as if they'd been stretched on a rubber band, being pulled further and further from his father and closer to his best friend.

"They hurt James!" he yelled without thinking. Orion's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Do you mean to tell me you are not only on a first-name basis with Potter's son, but that you are actually friends with him!" Orion's voice had been rising steadily through the sentence, and now it was nothing short of a roar.

Sirius felt anger flare up inside of him, and with that anger came reckless courage. "Yes, father!" he yelled back, the last word said in a rather mocking tone. "And he's a better person than any of those bloody Slytherins!" Sirius felt that his words were weak compared to the feelings swelling inside of him.

Orion's face contorted with fury. He hit his son again, knocking the smaller boy off his feet. Sirius jumped immediately back up, cursing himself for not having his wand, though it would have been fruitless to use it against his father.

Orion struck him again as Sirius tried to dodge, but he wasn't agile enough and added a black eye to the mess of bruises along his face. Sirius managed to duck as his father's fist flew at him, and blindly threw a punch back, striking his father in the lip.

Orion's lip began to swell and bleed, and both Blacks were silent, Orion seething and Sirius in shock at what he did. Fear began to fill him like water in a pitcher.

_Oh Merlin, oh_ _Merlin, I'm going to get it now!_ Sirius thought. He briefly considered backing down, but pushed that thought away with disgust. He was a Gryffindor, dammit, he wouldn't back down now!

_But am I just being stupid? Going against my father, a man who knows more Dark Arts then half the Death Eaters combined? _Sirius wondered, but was pulled from his reverie by his father's wand pointing at his face. Sirius stared at the tip of the wand, going cross-eyed.

Orion's breathing was raspy. "If you insist on acting in the way of a filthy blood-traitor," he hissed, "then you should get the feeling of what blood-traitors have coming to them."

_What the– _Sirius thought in confusion, but his thoughts were cut off by his father's cry of "Crucio!"

Blinding pain filled him. Sirius immediately fell, screaming in agony. The pain was indescribable; it was like hundreds of thousands of white-hot knives stabbing him over and over again, in every part of his body, even his mind and soul...

As quickly as the pain had come, it vanished, leaving a slightly whimpering Sirius on the ground. Breathing hard, fighting back tears, Sirius lifted his head to look into his father's eyes. The icy grey eyes seemed even colder than normal, and Sirius felt himself fill with silent worry and fear. But all his father did when he pointed his wand at his son was levitate the boy off the ground, and Sirius unwillingly fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" James shrieked over and over again as two Death Eaters restrained him.

Panic was flooding him. His vision was beginning to blur. The shapes of other people swam, blending with each other. Suddenly, he felt a wand at his head, and a weird sensation came over him. It was as if he was falling, and voices around him were faint... and someone had shouted his name... the voice was so familiar... before James could think about that in more depth, he'd finally hit bottom, and he was unconscious.

"Toss him in the cells," Parkinson said gruffly, tossing him to Lestrange, who held the boy as if he were contaminated and dashed out of the room.

The room was buzzing with what Orion Black's son had done. "I knew we couldn't trust him not to try and help Potter's brat," Hollington said darkly to Malfoy. "He's a Gryffindor, a filthy blood-traitor."

"Calm yourself, Keith," Malfoy said serenely. "We'll turn him. It shan't be too hard; he's weak, as are all Gryffindors."

Suddenly, there was a stern crack, and there stood an angry-looking Orion. The shadow of a split lip was lingering around his mouth, as if he'd been injured and recently healed it. The room fell silent, watching Orion apprehensively.

"Now, now, quiet, are we?" came a smooth voice from the entryway. Orion Black was forgotten as the Death Eater's lord strode into the room, two small, faithful house-elves about his feet. "Begone, both of you!" he snapped to the wrinkled creatures, who squeaked and hurriedly obeyed.

The Death Eaters immediately snapped to attention. Lestrange walked back in, and managed to stifle a yelp that had nearly slipped out when he'd caught sight of his lord.

"The mission was successful?" he said, and the Death Eaters surrounding him nodded.

"We got the Potter brat," Parkinson said gruffly, looking towards the door where Lestrange had exited and entered.

"Excellent. Which cell is he in?"

"Number twenty-three, m'lord," Sebastian Lestrange said, looking respectfully at his master.

"Good. I shall... visit him later." A twisted smile hung about his lips. "Now, Black, have you gauged your son's response to my most generous offer?"

"Not yet, m'lord," Orion said, lying through his teeth. "I'll be sure to bring him to you tomorrow, he's had a trying day. He's at home at the moment.

"Of course," Voldemort said, not sounding as if he cared all that much. "Nott, a word if you please. The rest of you may go home if you wish.

Their assent was murmured throughout the small crowd, and, one by one, they Disapparated back to their homes, save Nott.

* * *

**_June 27th, 1972_**

Lily Evans entered her home, returning from a long bike ride around the neighborhood. Glancing at the clock, her stomach rumbled as she noticed that it was half past one. Suddenly, a tapping brought her out of her food-dominated reverie.

"Huh?" she muttered stupidly, looking over at the window as Stony the owl continued to tap on the kitchen window. "Oh! Stony!"

Stony was her best friend, Erica Susanna's, owl. Frowning, Lily threw open the window, letting the male owl flutter in.

"Er... there's some water in the glass on my night stand if you like," Lily said, throughly unclear about how to care for an owl. The owl hooted thankfully, waddling across the bed over to the glass of water and lapping it up.

Lily ripped open the letter, letting the parchment envelope flutter to her bedspread.

_Dear Lily,_

_I hope your summer is starting well! Mine could be better, my father's been busy with all of these murders._

Lily nodded to herself knowingly. Erica's father was an Auror for the Ministry; sort of like a SWAT team for Muggles, she guessed.

_BIG news. I know you don't get the _Prophet,_ so I enclosed the story. James Potter was kidnapped!_

_Much love,  
__Erica_

Lily gasped, hurriedly snatching up the envelope and digging through it, lifting out a thin sheet of gray paper that she hadn't noticed before.

_June 27th, 1972_

_**POTTER KIDNAPPED**_

_The Potter home on Snidget Boulevard was attacked last night. Daniel Potter (58) and his wife Michelle Potter (56) suffered minor injuries, though they went through the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent: the loss of a child._

_James Potter, 12, was kidnapped by the Death Eaters (see page 5 for more information), who were also responsible for the murder of the Zayton family._

_The Potters request that if anyone has any information, they write them immediately. "We just want our son back," Michelle Potter choked through tears._

"_This is a grave time, when a young child is taken from his parents," Minister Millicent Bagnold said this morning in an interview with this reporter._

_To keep another tragedy like this from happening again, Bagnold advises that you ward your home against Dark magic and that you know your childrens' locations at all times. Pamphlets will be coming out within the month._

"_Several murders, and then the kidnapping of a twelve-year-old?" Arthur Weasley, who is new to the Ministry of Magic, said. "We're going into dark times."_

_James Potter is going into his second-year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His parents describe him as average height and build, with extremely untidy jet-black hair, hazel eyes, and glasses._

_(For more information on Lord Voldemort, see page_ 6)  
_(For contact information, see next page)_

Lily's mouth hung open, and the scrap of newspaper fell from her hands to the linoleum floor of the kitchen.

_Two _people in her year and House were gone. She swallowed hard, looking behind her out the window, as if she expected the Death Eaters to be coming up the street.

* * *

"Albus, what in the world are we going to do? One of our students, and the child of two prime members of society, is _missing!_"

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had been in quite a stitch over the past few days. First, the murder of Grace Zayton, and then the kidnapping of James Potter?

"It is not only Mr. Potter we should be worried about," Professor Albus Dumbledore said gravely, looking at Minerva over his half-moon glasses. She turned her sharp eyes on him, watching him warily.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"Orion Black has been pressuring his son to become a follower of the Dark Lord, according to some inside sources," Albus informed her, receiving a surprised look back.

"But he's merely twelve!"

"Voldemort's really working at getting an army. He calls them 'Junior Death Eaters'," the elderly man said sadly. Minerva looked horrified and disbelieving.

"Surely Sirius Black wouldn't turn! He's a Gryffindor!"

"There's some foul play involved; a connection between James Potter's kidnapping and Sirius Black's offer. Our source was told by his master that James Potter was to be converted to a Death Eater, but he obviously wouldn't join. I believe that Voldemort intends to use James as a bribe to get him to join. For example, James would go free and unharmed if Sirius joined."

Minerva's face turned to stone."But those two boys are inseparable! Do you think Black would make that decision?"

Albus sighed. "I don't know, Minerva. It's highly likely. Sirius is a Gryffindor, and an exceedingly noble one at that."

Minerva sighed, shaking her head. "Is there any way we could save James?"

Albus sighed as well. "Even if we could, it would put Sirius in considerable danger. His father is extraordinarily judgemental, and I have no doubt that he would find a way to convince Voldemort to pin the blame on Sirius. It's known enough that they aren't exactly fond of each other."

Minerva gritted her teeth. "Can't we just take the poor boy away from that awful family?" she asked, though she knew that it was improbable.

"Unlikely. We'd need substantial proof that the father is involved with the Death Eaters and that they mistreat their son. We don't know that Sirius is abused in any way."

"Nonsense, did you see that bruise on his cheek last Christmas? It was much to big to belong to one of his cousins or his younger brother!" Minerva exclaimed, looking peeved. "And as for his father, couldn't we use your source as a witness of some kind?"

"Many parents, unfortunately, use that as discipline occasionally. It doesn't signal that the child is being abused," Albus replied, the twinkle in his eyes completely gone. "And using the source as a witness would endanger his life. I am not prepared to put him in that situation."

Minerva silenced herself, thinking hard. Albus was doing the same, looking around his office. The portraits were all listening intently, and Phineas Nigellus was looking rather bored. He didn't seem to care that one of his descendents was in danger.

Suddenly, Minerva spoke."Albus, if you don't mind telling me, who is this source?"

"That, my dear Minerva, you will find out in due time," Albus said mysteriously, the twinkle returning.

* * *

Remus Lupin stared at the front page story in shock.

His best friend was missing!

Immediately, without a word to his shocked mother, he shot out of his seat and up the stairs, to his bedroom on the second floor, and to his desk in the corner, where a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill lay ready.

Uncorking the ink and dipping his quill in the thick black substance, he put quill to parchment as he wrote a letter to the one and only Sirius Black.

* * *

_Darkness was surrounding him, pushing in on him from all sides. He felt like he was suffocating in his own mind. Screams for help echoed in his head, screams of an all too familiar voice, accompanying his own..._

Sirius Black awoke in his bed, shrieking frantically. He immediately shut himself up, looking around wildly.

His room. His bed. His house. Maybe it was all just a bad dream...but ashe moved to look around further, he felt pain shoot up his spine.

He sighed. So it wasn't a dream. His best friend was in trouble, and here he was, lying helpless in bed.

"Master Sirius is awake!"

A tinny voice came from the door, and a small, wrinkled female house-elf had her head poked into the room. She was holding a small vial of potion.

"Finky got Master Sirius pain-reliever from the kitchens," Finky squeaked, creeping in and handing Sirius the potion, which Sirius downed. A numbness overcame him, and he looked sleepily at Finky.

"Did Father send it up?" he asked, his voice slurring as he began to fall asleep.

Finky looked guilty. "Erm... no, Master Sirius..." she said apologetically.

Sirius started to reply, but fell back onto his pillows in an exhausted sleep, not noticing a tawny owl tapping on his window, a letter in its clutches.

* * *

Rain pounded on the stone walls of the Riddle House's basement-turned-dungeon. Only one person inhabited the cells that stretched under the wooden floors of the foyer, dining and sitting room, and other assorted rooms on the floor above.

Groaning and stirring on the dirt floor, the figure picked up his head, looking around him blearily and immediately wondering where the hell he was, before the entire night before came rushing back to him.

"Mum... Dad..." he mumbled brokenly, curling into a small ball. The cold in the dungeons was biting, and the unusually chilly summer temperature outside didn't help in the least.

James Potter felt helpless, a feeling he wasn't used to. He suddenly felt the need for a parent's protection, a feeling of security...

Without warning, the twelve-year-old boy dissolved into tears, wrapping his arms around his knees and sobbing his troubles away.

* * *

_Tap... tap... tap..._

Noises invaded Sirius' dreams as he began to restlessly stir.

"Five more minutes, Mum..." he mumbled sleepily, but the tapping just grew louder and more impatient.

Finally, he cracked open one gray eye and was surprised to see that it wasn't his mother tapping in her irritating way upon his door, but an owl at his window. The owl was soaked, its letter just as wet, and the animal looked extremely irritated at being rained on. Sirius delicately moved to get out of bed, and was surprised to feel no pain. Walking to the window, he caught a brief glimpse of himself. His face was black-and-blue, one eye very swollen. He tore his eyes away from his reflection and threw open the window. Rain poured in as the owl fluttered inside, landing on his bed and shaking itself off all over the covers. Sirius rolled his eyes in vague annoyance, walking over to the bed and untying the wet letter from the owl's leg.

It was soaking wet and the ink on the outside was running. 'Sirius' was barely legible and 'Black' wasn't visible at all.

Opening the sopping letter carefully, he pulled out damp sheet of parchment inside, unfolding it delicately and reading it. A word here and there was smudged, but Sirius got the gist of it; Remus had heard that James was missing.

Heading towards his desk, he quickly scribbled a letter back.

_Remus -_

_Trust me, I know._

_- Sirius_

_P.S. Hope your holiday is enjoyable, besides this..._

Of course, Sirius said nothing about how he saw James being taken from his home. He knew his letter didn't describe the mountains of feelings that were trapped within him. It must be his old mum's thinking: never show weakness.

* * *

**Well, that's it. I feel bad now, because I made you wait so long for this update and it's so pathetic :-(**

**I promise, I'll make the next one SPECTACULAR!**

**PotterScar**


	4. Rescue

**Sorry this update is late. I've had a huge block and have been trying to get rid of it by posting some other stories. Take a look at my pro and read them!**

**I hope this makes up for being late. It probably doesn't, but I can try, can't I?**

Chapter Four:

Rescue

by PotterScar

**_July 1st, 1972_**

Several days had passed since James' kidnapping. The Wizarding world was still buzzing; even the wizards in foreign countries were helping to locate James Potter. The Potters were suddenly thankful for their many, many connections all over Europe. French Aurors were teaming up with English, Irish, and Scottish Aurors to comb the Atlantic coast of Europe, not only to locate James, but to try to find missing people from their own countries. Many businesses were sponsoring the hunt, trying to up their popularity, and Minster Bagnold had taken measures never dreamed of by her predecessors; she talked to the Prime Minister of the Muggles, who agreed to help locate the boy.

The Wizarding world was in a frenzy, all because of one twelve-year-old. Little did they know that disappearances would soon be common; that they would not be taking these huge steps to find one person.

Sirius had Finky bring him the Daily Prophet each day, desperate to know if James had been rescued yet. However, he was still not found, and with each passing day, Sirius gained his strength back. His worry for not only James but for himself swelled, and it peaked the day that Orion Black came into his room, threw a duffle bag at him, and told him to pack some clothes and other items.

So, here Sirius was, standing in that dreadful dark hall of the Riddle House, packed duffle in hand, and being told where his room was. He was still in a daze from being told that he was living at Riddle House for a week or so; his father wanted some sense knocked into him, apparently.

Sirius was scared out of his wits.

He vaguely registered that his room was up the stairs, second on the left, and he departed, stumbling up the stairs and into the room.

It was dark and gloomy, much like the rest of the house; it had wooden, filthy walls, an ancient mahogany bed with a black bedspread, old-looking mahogany nightstands, a matching desk and chair, a mahogany dresser, and one grimy window with a moldy window seat. Feeling sick, Sirius began to unpack his things. He ended up not putting his clothing in the dresser, as it was full of spiders, and decided to keep them in the bag. Tossing the bag on the desk, he collapsed on the chair, his head in one hand. He already owled Peter and Remus telling them not to try and owl him, as he would be on "vacation" for a while.

Sirius sighed, getting up and looking into the water-spotted mirror above the dresser. It muttered something about the several yellowish bruises on his face, but he ignored it, looking closely at the marks. All the Death Eaters knew where they came from, and they didn't think less of Orion for it. They did it to a lot of their children, after all.

He could vaguely hear the sounds of Disapparating down in the gloomy hall. The house was empty; all the Death Eaters and Voldemort were doing a raid in Bristol.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he immediately dashed out of the room, to the indignation of the mirror, and slammed the door shut behind him. Dashing down the stairs, he nearly fell several times, and he dashed back into the hall. Where was the door where Lestrange had taken James...?

There it was! How could he forget? It was black, with intricate snake detailing and a "D" in elegant script, surrounded by wilting roses. It was depressingly beautiful.

Wrenching it open, he felt a sudden blast of cool wind hit his face between the cracks of the stone walls. He carefully descended the steep, rickety stairs. After what seemed like ten minutes of walking, he emerged on a floor that was caked in dried mud. Cells lined the walls, breaking to form an aisle down the middle. The only light provided were spilling in through the cracks, but the cracks were so porous that Sirius had no difficulty finding his way.

"James?" he called softly, looking in each cell. "You there? It's Sirius."

"Sirius?" came a whisper from the farthest cell down. Sirius immediately sprinted for it, kneeling outside of the bars. It was the tiniest of the lot, but also the brightest; it had the most cracks. He could see James, curled up in a corner, his arms around his knees. The black-haired boy crawled over to Sirius eagerly, going up to the bars as well.

"How are you, mate?" Sirius asked, his voice tight.

"I'm fine. Hungry, but fine," James responded. His voice was weak, as if he'd gone a long period of time without saying a word. "Why are you here?"

"My father sent me here for a week," came the whispered response. "Voldemort and all of his snakes are out on a raid, and the house is empty 'cept for the elves, so I came down here to check on you."

"Thanks, Sirius. You're a brilliant friend," James said, smiling. Sirius felt a pang of guilt stab at his stomach.

"I'm... I'm not," he replied weakly, knowing that if he didn't tell James soon, he'd explode from keeping it in. "The night... the night they took you..."

He stopped, swallowing hard. James was looking at him carefully. Sirius knew every bit of trust James had for him was about to disappear.

"I was there. My father took me. I should have helped you, I'm so sorry," he said quickly, before standing up. "I... I gotta..." Sirius shook his head, backing away from the cell doors and running down the hall.

"Wait! Sirius!" James yelled, but Sirius didn't stop. He couldn't bear to look at the hurt that would obviously be on James' face, hear the awful words that James would say to him.

He ran up the stairs, flew across the hall, dashed up the second set of stairs, ran into his room, and threw himself on his bed, burying his face in the pillow. He didn't notice the musty smell as he cried his heart out.

* * *

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"

James yelled his friend's name, until it was quite clear that Sirius was gone. When he realized that, he fell back, renewed sobs shaking through his body.

Sirius must think that he was mad at him. Quite the contrary; James understood completely. How could Sirius have helped? He was with his own father and a bunch of Death Eaters; he would have been killed on the spot. James was, in fact, glad Sirius hadn't been a stupid prat and stepped in.

Soon, his sobs stopped, and a deafening silence fell as the loneliness that had been relieved by Sirius slipped back into his heart.

Sliding back into the corner, he stared longingly out of a split in the stone. He could see green grass and an old man; he was watering some flowers outside of a cemetery. He considered yelling for help, but deduced that it would be pointless; the man might be a Death Eater, or, even worse, a Muggle. If he was the latter, he would ask what James was doing in there, and that would lead to awkward questions. James wasn't prepared to break the Statue of Secretness.

So he continued to watch the old man hobble around; apparently he had a bad leg. He bent over, watering a group of tiger lilies, while James watched him. He appeared to be muttering to himself; James could only catch snatches of it ("blasted kids" and "foolish gossips").

Soon, the old man went out of sight, and James sighed, turning his back and resting his forehead on his knees. Something skittered over his feet, but he had become used to the rats in the dungeon that he didn't even look up.

This went on for a half-hour, but soon, his reverie was disturbed...

"Bloody huge dungeon!"

A voice drifted down the cell aisle, rousing James from his half-doze. It was a young, Scottish voice, teeming with excitement.

"Stay lively, Wood, we're looking for Daniel's kid," came another voice, one James recognized; it was Jamie Prewett.

"Yes, Chief," Wood replied, and the sounds of a few people advanced down the aisle. James instinctively curled up tighter, even though he knew these people were here to save him.

"Brilliant that the snakes decided to go raiding today," another voice spoke, closer. He had a thick Irish accent with a hint of English, as if it was an Irishman who'd been living in Britain for at least a few years.

"Yes, very lucky," Prewett replied, his voice about six or seven meters from James' cell. "Dammit, where is he... James, if you can hear us, please give a shout!"

"I'm... I'm here!" James called weakly, his voice small. "In... in the end cell!"

"I heard him!" the Irishman exclaimed. James could nearly feel the others rolling their eyes.

"We all did, O'Brien," Wood said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "He's in the end cell. Well, let's hurry it up! We never know when those nasty Death Eaters are going to return!"

"Right," Prewett agreed, jogging to the end and stopping immediately at James' cell, looking carefully, before spotting the boy in the back.

"Yer a lucky one, you know that?" the Irishman said to James, as the other five caught up to Prewett. He had a thin, freckled face, orangish-blonde hair, and dark green eyes. His expression was kind as he observed the frightened Potter.

"Perry, you're the lockmaster, undo the charms on the door, if you will," Prewett said to a well-built brown-haired man, who nodded, pulling his wand from his back pocket ("How many times has Mad-Eye warned you not to do that?" Wood exclaimed) and tapping the small, brass lock on the door. It fizzled, and a red string of light hung between Chris Perry's wand and the lock. He smiled grimly, before setting to work on it.

"How'd... how'd you know where to find me?" James asked in a weak voice.

"We got a tip off from a Mr. Sirius Black just ten minutes ago," Prewett replied. "We weren't sure whether to believe him, being a Black and all, but we decided to dispatch some people to check it out. Apparently, he's trustworthy."

"Where is he?" James asked eagerly, scooting up further.

"Up in that nasty hall," O'Brien said, his voice laced with disgust. "It's such a gloomy place, I dunno _how _he can stand it."

James didn't reply. He knew that the hall was probably a well-lit, colorful place compared to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, as Sirius had called it one time with disdain.

Perry was still working away at the lock, which would make little sputtering and sizzling noises when he cast certain spells on it. It wasn't inclined to open up, but James was sure it would give way soon.

Perry, however, had different thoughts. He was keeping a fluent string of curses running under his breath, and finally, he lowered his wand.

"The Death Eaters must have their own lockmaster, this is impossible," Perry said tiredly, looking worn from all his fruitless work.

Wood looked worried. "What are we going to do?" he asked, as James' heart sank.

Perry looked grim. "Well, we don't have much time, so I'm going to do something drastic... stand back..."

James crawled into the back of the cell, while the other Aurors backed up. Perry pointed his wand at the lock, and said, "_Reducto!_"

He jumped back as the lock exploded, and pieces of it went flying.The other Aurors and James put their hands over their faces to protect them, and Perry shouted in pain as his hands went up too slow and pieces struck him.

"You alright, mate?" O'Brien asked, lowering his hands. Three pieces of the lock were imbedded in Perry's forehead, and another was stuck near his jaw. He was clenching his jaw, trying to pick them out. Blood was dripping from the cuts that now lined his face.

"Merlin... Wood, take Perry and get out _now_. O'Brien and I will get James," Prewett said, quickly opening the cell door. James scrambled forward, and O'Brien yanked him to his feet. The three dashed after Perry and Wood, who were ascending the stairs.

"Shit! Chief, they're back," Wood hissed, his hand gripping Perry's upper arm. Perry was beginning to swoon as the pain became too much to bear.

"Portkey!" Prewett muttered, pulling out a Galleon that had an eerie bluish glow. "Grab hold, everyone." James reached out, touching the coin, and O'Brien, Wood, and Perry did the same. They could hear Sirius being quizzed by the Death Eaters why he was just standing there in the middle of the hall.He was making up a convincing lie, and the Death Eaters seemed to believe him, for they let him go.

"Wizengamot," Prewett muttered, as it was the word to activate the Portkey, and they whizzed away in a flash of blue light just as Voldemort suggested they check on the prisoner.

The group appeared in the middle of the Auror department, and the second the lingering Aurors spotted James, the entire department went into an uproar.

"SILENCE!" Prewett shouted over the din, and immediately, the group quieted. "Somebody get Daniel Potter from the Department of Mysteries and tell him to report to St. Mungo's immediately," he ordered, and a blonde man offered to go, scooting out of his cubicle and leaving the department.

"Wood, accompany James to St. Mungo's," Prewett said, and Adrian Wood nodded, guiding James to the one Floo fireplace in the Auror department. O'Brien and others had begged it be put in two years ago.

Tossing in some green powder, he told James, "Get in and say, 'St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies'." James nodded, feeling dazed, and climbed in, saying the words as clearly as he could.

When he stepped out of the grate at St. Mungo's, he felt even sicker, and the noise in the waiting room didn't help. Thankfully, though, nobody noticed him stumble out of the fireplace, and soon Wood was at his side, taking him up to a room that the hospital had had ready since the Aurors had called them almost a week ago.

"Just lie down, your dad will be here soon," Wood assured him, as they entered the room. He half-dragged James over to the bed, where he collapsed and let a nurse fuss over him.

Just as he was falling asleep, there was a loud BANG as the door opened, and Daniel Potter appeared, winded. He ran over to his son, who had been awakened by the noise, and embraced him. James buried his face in his dad's shoulder, hugging him back.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Daniel whispered, and James mumbled something into his shoulder that Daniel didn't catch.

"Your mother is on her way," Daniel said, loosening his grip on his son.

* * *

"HOW DID THEY GET HIM?"Voldemort roared, the grimy windows in the hall of Riddle House blowing out. "Who told them where he was? WHO!"

The Death Eaters were silent, looking at one another uneasily. Voldemort stared deep into each other their eyes, before deducing that none of them had been the rat.

"Who could have told?" he whispered, and it took a minute before the Death Eaters realized he was waiting for an answer.

"W-Well," Lestrange started, "did any of the J-Juniors know that P-Potter was here?"

"Of course n–" Voldemort started, but he stopped. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he whispered, "Of course... I should have known..."

"Bring me Sirius Black IMMEDIATELY!" he roared, and Nott immediately fled to retrieve him.

"M'lord... my son couldn't have done it... he hasn't the courage," Orion Black said bravely, and Voldemort turned to him.

"Oh, your son has more courage than you can ever imagine," Voldemort said, his voice deadly quiet. "Yes, that is why he is a foolish Gryffindor..."

Nott came back in, dragging Sirius with him. Sirius looked more confused than frightened. Voldemort narrowed his eye at him, making Sirius involuntarily take a step back.

"When I let you stay in my house," Voldemort hissed to Sirius, "I did not expect this!"

Sirius remained silent, unsure of what to say. The Death Eaters watched him with bated breath.

"Now, don't you think you should be punished?"

Sirius remained silent for a moment, before saying in a timid voice, "N-No, sir..."

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort shouted, pointing his wand at Sirius, who immediately collapsed to the ground. "I do not appreciate traitors. I dispose of them."

Sirius looked up quickly, looking from Voldemort to his father, who was chewing his lip so much that it was beginning to bleed.

"Avada Ked–"

Suddenly, there was an explosion from the head of the hall, where the doors were. The aforementioned doors had been blown out, and several dozen Aurors stood there, wands at the ready. Sirius grinned, looking dazed as the Death Eaters tried to escape, and fell unconscious.

* * *

When he awoke, he was laying on a clean, white bed in St. Mungo's Hospital. His father and mother stood by the door, conversing in quiet voices, and Sirius couldn't see his brother, and could only assume that he was at home.

His mother spotted him, nudged Orion, and the two of them walked over to his bed.

"About time," Celena said harshly. "Now we can finally go home."

Sirius rolled his eyes, heaving himself out of the bed (his muscles, still sore from the curse, protested greatly). His parents left the room, Sirius trailing behind them, heading towards the waiting room, where they could Floo home using the fireplace.

He spotted James in one of the rooms with his parents, and managed a small wave, before being shoved by his mother and father towards the lower floor.

Sirius was thankful that James was safe again, even if ratting out the Death Eater's secret hideout was a danger to himself.

* * *

"MUM! DAD! THEY FOUND HIM!"

Remus had been getting up earlier than his mother every day to check the _Daily Prophet_ to see if they'd recovered James. He was running up the stairs to his parent's room, a now-wrinkled copy of the _Prophet _clutched in his hand.

"Mm?" Blake muttered sleepily, waking up and blinking blearily at his son. Sarah Lupin was doing the same. "Found?"

"They found James!" Remus said excitedly, jumping around like a hyper puppy. "They located the Death Eater's hideout! He's alright!"

"That's terrific," Blake said, relief passing over his face. The Ministry would soon be returning to normal, thank Merlin.

"It's wonderful, dear," Sarah said, getting out of bed. "Do you want some breakfast? It's high time I woke up, anyway..."

Remus just grunted, running down the hall to his room to write a letter to Peter, telling him everything was alright again.

* * *

**_July 1st, 1972_**

_Relief passed over the Wizarding world when James Potter was found in a manor fairly nearby, hostage with the Death Eaters. He is alright, his parents say._

"_He has minor dehydration and starvation, but he'll be fine," said a relieved Michelle Potter, as James was being looked over by a nurse in St. Mungo's Hospital._

_He is scheduled to go home tomorrow._

_Aurors received a tip off of the location from a source whom they wish to keep anonymous for the informant's own safety. They also stormed the manor later, capturing three Death Eaters: Keith Hollingworth, Percival Parkinson, and Eric Avery. All face life sentences in Azkaban._

_(See page 2 for more information on Potter's condition)_

_(See page 3 for more information on the Death Eaters that were captured)_

* * *

**Another chapter done. Hopefully this one was more action-packed.**

**PotterScar**


	5. The Tutor and the Potion

**I'm soooo sorry about the wait!**

**What was it, a month? Jeez!**

**Well, I hope you like the chapter...**

* * *

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Five:

The Tutor and the Potion

By PotterScar

**_August 1st, 1972_**

Over the month of July, the Wizarding world seemed to calm down after James Potter was found alive. Orion Black was unwilling to take his son back to the Death Eaters, not until Sirius was older. Sirius believed that the only reason his father didn't murder him on the spot was because he was the heir to the Black family fortune. Besides, his mother reasoned, the Black family supported loyalty, even if it was to a Potter. Sirius, however, knew he was on his second strike.

One more, and he was out.

The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black had returned to its usual state of gloomy silence. Orion locked himself in his potions chambers for hours at a time, Celena took to the drawing room, making Kreacher preform frivolous tasks to keep herself occupied, Regulus, now ten years old, was usually in the library, looking for another book he hadn't read yet, and Sirius kept to his room, writing replies to his friends and anxiously awaiting his return to Hogwarts.

On this particular day, the routine seemed fairly normal. His father arose first, at six in the morning, grabbing a bite to eat before retreating to his potions lab, where he would remain until dinner. Celena was the second to wake, at eight in the morning, going and fixing herself breakfast, before tidying up the house (a little bit, at least) and going to the drawing room to review some old documents that Sirius' ancestors had left in the house. Sirius woke third at nine, grabbing something to eat in the kitchen, before bringing the food back up to his room so he could eat and do his homework in relative peace. Regulus woke up last, around ten, and whined at the drawing room door until his mother came out to fix him something to eat.

It was around eleven that Sirius put his books down, having finished both his Transfiguration homework and his large stack of toast. Getting up, he stretched, figuring that he should shower, should his mother want to see him.

About twelve seconds after he emerged from his shower, his mother called him down for lunch and his new history studies. Sirius sighed, dressing quickly, and dashing down the rickety stairs to the kitchen, where his mother was sternly waiting. She glared at him when he came in.

"What took you so long?" she snapped. "Whatever, just hurry up and eat! The tutor will be here any minute!"

Sirius scowled, wolfing down his sandwich. Sirius had barely swallowed the last bite when a knock on the door signaled that the tutor was there.

"In the library with you!" Celena hissed at her son. "Regulus is there already."

Sirius sighed, shaking his head and leaving the kitchen. His parents had started looking for a tutor for him and Regulus after the "incident" a month previous. They thought that maybe he would be more respectful of the family if they hired a personal tutor that would teach him not only about pureblood history, but about the Black family history in particular. In Sirius' mind, the tutor would probably be a pureblood maniac, most likely elderly, very stern, and someone he didn't know.

Wasn't he surprised when the library door creaked open and in stepped, with his mother...

Horace Slughorn.

Sirius stared at his Potions professor for a good minute as his mother introduced Slughorn to Regulus, who had not met the man.

Slughorn, however, seemed uninterested in Regulus. "Ah, Sirius!" he said cheerfully, stepping up and holding out his hand to Sirius, who hesitantly shook it. "Good to see you, young man."

Sirius nodded politely. He, James, Remus, Severus Snape, and that Lily Evans girl had to be Slughorn's favorite students in the year. He and James were liked because of their pureblood lines; Remus, Snape, and Evans were liked because of their skills in Potions.

Sirius was not a fan of his Potions professor. The man was a bit obnoxious, definitely a fan of pureblood rule, but fair to the half-bloods and muggle-borns (after all, three of his favorite students definitely weren't pureblooded). He talked to much and thought too little, in Sirius' opinion.

His mother was gone in a flash and, before Sirius knew it, the lesson had started at the round table near the front of the window.

Slughorn took several books out of his bag, flipping to a page and starting to drone as Sirius played with his quill and stared out the window.

"Pureblooded families go back to when magic was first used, just after the prehistoric period..." Sirius stopped listening somewhere around there, instead daydreaming about going back to Hogwarts.

The Professor continued to talk for a good twenty minutes as Regulus took diligent notes, not noticing Sirius' lapse of attention until Regulus quietly pointed it out.

"Mr. Black?" Slughorn asked. Sirius didn't turn his glazed gaze from the window. "Mr. Black. Sirius. SIRIUS!" Slughorn said loudly, jolting Sirius out of his reverie.

"Yes, Professor?" he asked innocently. Slughorn sighed, continuing on with the lesson. Sirius scribbled some stuff down, making an effort to pay attention, but his mind wandered to the unanswered letter from James in his room.

* * *

A good three hours later, the lesson was over. It was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon, and, apparently, Slughorn would come everyday from noon to three to teach Sirius and Regulus the "wonders" of the pureblooded line.

Sirius felt as if he hadn't slept for a month, he was so exhausted. "Damn pureblooded history," he muttered sleepily, falling onto his bed.

The only thing that kept him from going to sleep was the small, folded bit of parchment on the nightstand that was the letter from James. The first one James had written to Sirius since the incident. Sirius was almost afraid to open it, afraid of what he would read in there. Right now, all Sirius wanted to do was fall asleep, try to bury the guilt that swelled inside of him. But the damn letter was calling to him, begging to be read...

"Oh, screw it," he muttered, sitting up and grabbing the letter off of the nightstand, instantly awake. He unfolded it, and hesitated, before starting to read.

_Dear Sirius,_

_How are you, mate? I haven't properly seen you since... well, since you sort of freaked out on me in the dungeons._

_What was that all about? You didn't do anything wrong. I mean, it would have been horrible if you had tried to help my family and I in front of a load of Death Eaters. They would have hurt you terribly._

_I hope you're alright. The Aurors told Dad that you helped me. What did your parents think of that? I hope they weren't too furious with you. You can always kip here if they're giving you the cold shoulder._

_Write back, mate. Remus and Peter haven't heard from you lately and they're concerned. Peter's also been seeing shadowy figures around his neighborhood – he lived near the Zaytons. I've checked it with my dad, and he says he's going to see if anyone will have a look around there._

_Remus has been well, for the most part. He lives in a fairly rural part of England, so his family isn't concerned about Death Eater activity and the like._

_Hope you're well._

–_James_

Sirius put down the letter, sucking in a deep breath of air.

James wasn't mad at him.

_James wasn't mad at him!_

Sirius felt like doing a stupid little dance. His best friend wasn't mad at him! Grinning, all sleepiness forgotten, Sirius hopped off of his bed, shoved the letter into his pocket, and immediately grabbed a quill, some ink, and some parchment, and set about righting a letter back to James.

_Dear James,_

_I can't believe you're not mad at me! After what I did– well, I'm not going to dwell on that._

_I hope you're feeling better, mate. No broken bones, hopefully?_

_My dad was furious with me. Well, so was my mother, but she managed to calm him down enough for him to realize that I was the heir to the family fortune, so killing me would be a rather idiotic idea._

_Peter's been seeing shadowy people around his neighborhood? Well, make sure there're Aurors out there immediately. I'd really hate for something to happen._

_Things have been rather boring around here, but I had my first tutoring lesson today. Some background: after the "incident", my mother and father believed that I should be more knowledgeable in the area of pureblooded families. Bet they think that they're going to get me into Slytherin. Fat chance._

_Speaking of Slytherin, you'll never guess who my tutor is..._

_Professor Slughorn._

_Pretty wild, right? He was being all nice to me, practically ignoring Reg (which I think ticked off the toerag quite a bit)._

_Hope you're well also,_

_--Sirius_

Sirius folded up the letter, sealing it and calling his owl over. Midnight flew over gracefully, landing on his arm. Sirius had always gotten raised eyebrows when he told people his snowy-owl's name.

Tying the letter to the owl's leg, he sent her off, and watched as she faded to a speck in the blue sky as she flew north.

* * *

_3 hours later_

**(A/N: I don't know when the sun sets in Scotland, so don't pester me about it.)**

The sun set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, drowning the rolling grounds in an amber light. The beautiful sunset washed light into the Headmaster's office, where an interesting argument was going on between the Headmaster and the Potions Master.

"Really, Albus, I don't see the need for me to stop holding tutoring sessions at the Black house!" Slughorn said brusquely, his ginger moustache twitching to and fro as he spoke. "You're just being paranoid!"

"Yes, but my paranoia might stop the Death Eaters from obtaining crucial information!" Dumbledore retorted. "I might seem unreasonable, Horace, but Orion Black is a suspected Death Eater. He could be up to anything."

"Orion Black is a respectable, generous man who cares about his family and about the community!" Slughorn replied loudly, looking very annoyed. "Him, a Death Eater? Preposterous!"

"Preposterous?" Albus exclaimed with a laugh. "Probable, more like. Cares about his family? We have substantial evidence that his son, Sirius, is abused. Cares about the community? Oh, I'm sure he was thinking of the community when he burned down the Zayton home."

"I refuse to listen to this!" Horace cried melodramatically, before storming out of the office, leaving only an angry Albus, mad at himself for losing his composure and mad at the man who refused to listen to reason.

* * *

****

****

**_August 2nd, 1972_**

"SIRIUS!"

Sirius groaned, pulling a pillow over his head to block out the banshee-like shrieks of his mother. The attempt was fruitless.

"SIRIUS! Get your lazy ass down here before Professor Slughorn gets here!"

Sirius groaned again, standing up. He hopped into the shower, quickly pulled on some clothes, and was downstairs in about ten minutes. His mother shoved a sandwich into one of his hands and a letter into another.

"Your Hogwarts letter came this morning," she said indifferently. "I fully expect you to write them back and tell them not only will you be coming, but you also request a house change. To Slytherin."

Sirius scowled. "They aren't going to move me," he said, feeling brave that day. "The Hat made its decision. Sorry, Mother, but I'm in Gryffindor."

Sirius didn't even see the hand come flying at his face, but he definitely _felt _it. Rubbing his now-pink cheek, he stormed into the library, throwing his sandwich into the troll-let umbrella holder as he made his way down the corridor.

He made as much noise possible on the way to the library, disturbing all of the paintings on the walls and causing Kreacher to lose his balance as the floor shook and topple over.

Sirius could care less.

He made it to the library about a minute before Slughorn did. Slughorn looked tired, as if he'd been up all night, and agitated at the same time, and Sirius could tell that the teacher wouldn't put up with any of his shit, but Sirius didn't care.

The entire lesson was a battle of the wills, so to say. Sirius ignored Slughorn, while Slughorn tried to force Sirius to pay attention. It resulted in the lesson going no where and Regulus looking rather confused.

The end of the lesson was welcomed by all. Slughorn snatched the five Galleons that Mrs. Black held in her outstretched hand and stormed out of the house. Mrs. Black, noticing that Slughorn was upset, immediately pinned the blame on her eldest son, who just stomped up to his room and slammed the door.

* * *

Orion Black sat in his potions laboratory, ignoring the noise and chaos upstairs. He could hear his son stomping up the stairs and slamming the door to his bedroom, Slughorn storming out of the house and slamming the front door behind him, and his wife shrieking after Sirius. 

He continued to mix the potion in the cauldron peacefully, ignoring his surroundings as he tipped a small amount of wolfsbane into the bluish colored potion. A hiss came from the liquid, and it turned acid green.

Smiling in a satisfied way, Orion let it sit, standing and roaming the room.

The potions lab which Orion coveted so was cluttered and small, with shelves lining every wall and diagrams hung where there were no shelves. They showed the different effects that a potion might have on a human being.

Most of them weren't pleasant.

He ventured over to one of the counters that lined the room, sifting through the documents and instructions, through the ancient potions books and the letters. Finally, he found it.

_Black._

_Burn this after you read it. It must be kept secret._

_I need you to create a potion that will–_

That was where it ended. There had been more (and Orion had read it), but one of the family owls had found its way into the potions lab and tore the letter apart as it looked for food.

There was a squeal from the potion that he was creating. Satisfied, Orion grabbed some ground-up bone from a chimera and threw it in.

The potion turned pitch black.

* * *

**Hope you liked it!**

**PotterScar**


	6. Chaos and Wandless Magic

**I'm getting the unsettling feeling that posting this chapter is pointless, as I have lost all of my readers, but I want to try.**

**Before I begin to write, let me explain my eleven month absence: Writing wasn't fun anymore. I felt stressed and overworked, my grades were slipping, and I was literally making myself sick. I have decided, after a long time of thinking it over, to give this story another try. Shades of Gray is officially of hiatus.**

**I hope I still have some faithful readers out there. Whoever's reading, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. It would completely make my day... also, if I don't get any reviews, then I'll take it as that no one is reading, then this story's officially over and I'll close my account. No joke.**

**Well, here's chapter six. I hope you like it (I think my writing's improved over the year).**

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Six:

Chaos and Wandless Magic

by PotterScar

September 1st, 1972

The final month of the summer had passed quickly. Sirius had been required to stay with his family, though he went to James' for a long weekend. Probably the best bloody three days of the summer.

Yanking on the first clothing he could see after jumping out of the shower, he threw into his luggage a few last minute items, most of the pranking variety.

"Hurry up!" Celena shrieked loudly over the din of his three cousins and his younger brother. "No way in hell are you missing the train!"

"Watch your mouth!" one of the portraits admonished loudly. Next thing Sirius heard was a audible ripping noise. Wincing, he checked himself in the mirror one last time, his suitcases and bags adorning his body.

The only mark on his body, thank heavens, was a fading bruise on the side of his temple. If he swung his head just right, his hair covered it up.

He left the room swiftly, and as he trotted down the stairs, the shouts of Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Regulus became louder. Andromeda screamed, "SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!"

"BE QUIET!" Celena screamed at her and the younger students.

"WHAT IS WITH THE NOISE?" Orion hollered as he stormed up from his potion lab.

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut, fighting a headache. "Can't we just go to the train station?" he asked blearily, struggling to make himself heard. Orion rolled his eyes, told his son to behave, and disappeared back into the cellar as Celena ushered the children out the door.

* * *

"Behave, boy," his mother growled into his ear. Sirius rolled his eyes. 

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered.

"Don't take that tone with me!" Celena hissed, gripping his shoulder painfully. He glared at her.

"Goodbye, Mother," he merely said coldly, grabbing his belongings and leaving his mother standing alone. Within minutes, he came to James' side, smiling at the other boy's family.

"Sirius!" Michelle Potter said happily, ignoring the bruise on the side of his head. She knew she wouldn't get anything out of him if she prodded.

"Morning, Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter," Sirius greeted them politely, his instilled manners rising to the surface.

"This 'Mr. and Mrs. Potter' stuff is making me feel old," Daniel Potter chuckled. "Just call us Daniel and Michelle, Sirius. You know that."

Sirius flushed. "Yes, sir." Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"'Sir'? Can you teach James to do that?" he said, teasing his son, who huffed, crossing his arms irritably.

"I doubt it," Sirius joined in. "James isn't exactly bright."

"Hey!"

"I know," Daniel agreed. "When he was seven, he thought he could fly."

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all." He leaned closer to Sirius. "Almost jumped out the second story window. The house-elf saw him and convinced him not to."

"Dad!" James wailed. He grabbed Sirius's arm, not noticing his friend wince slightly. "We should get going, if you're quite done embarrassing me."

"I'll never be done, I'm your father," Daniel laughed, leaning down to pat his son's shoulder. "Have a good year, you two." Michelle kissed her son's forehead, and to Sirius's pleasure and embarrassment, hugged the Black.

"Behave, you two," she said, looking teary-eyed. "Don't give McGonagall a heart attack."

"We'll try not to," James laughed. "Hey, can Sirius come for Christmas break?"

"If it's alright with his parents," Daniel agreed. "Don't you two have a train to catch?" Steam had begun to stream out of the steam engine.

The two dark-haired boys looked at each other wide-eyed, before sprinting to the train, dragging their belongings with them.

* * *

"Shall we scream?" Sirius asked. 

"No!" James retorted.

"Why not?"

"People will dash into the corridors."

"Remmy and Pete may be among them."

"That's frightening."

"The people?"

"The 'Remmy.'"

Sirius smirked. "How is that frightening?"

James blinked. "Remus doesn't seem like a Remmy."

"D'you think he'd hate that nickname?"

The Potter child nodded. "Most likely."

"Wicked."

The two stopped their banter when they saw Lily Evans coming down the hall. Sirius put on his most charming grin; James noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Evans. Good summer?" Sirius asked.

"Better than some. Apparently your's was unproductive, though," she said, an eyebrow delicately arched.

Sirius' eyebrows lifted as well. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"You still don't know my first name."

"Well, I learned how to feed myself," he countered.

"Only took you twelve years."

"Alright, alright," James finally interrupted. "I hate to break up this happy little reunion, but we really should find Remus and Peter." Sirius nodded, scowling at Lily, who only glared back, before turning her gaze to James.

"I heard about what happened," she said. "Are you okay?"

James' mouth tugged into a half smile. "Perfect."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Lily teased, causing James' grin to widen.

"Bye, Evans," he laughed. She let out a disgruntled huff, before going around them and down the hall.

"What was that?" Sirius asked, cocking his head.

"What was what?" James retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That," he said, waving his hands around in the air between James and where Lily had left.

"I could ask you the same thing," his friend replied evasively. A snort of annoyance escaped Sirius.

"Whatever. Let's find Rem and Pete."

"Fine by me."

* * *

"Remus! Peter!" James greeted dramatically when they finally found the compartment that housed their best friends. 

"What took you two so long?" Remus asked, looking over top of his Transfiguration textbook. Sirius glared at him. "What?"

"What the hell are you reading?"

Remus stared defiantly back. "The Art of Transfiguration, Year Two," he responded boldly. Sirius and he had a staring match for several minutes, before Sirius suddenly pounced on him.

While the two boys were wrestling, James turned to Peter. "Good summer, Pete?"

"Decent," the smaller boy replied. "The lowest point was when you went missing."

"I would consider that a low point of my summer as well," James agreed, just as Remus shrieked. Sirius had bitten him.

"What the hell, you stupid mutt!"

"Mutt?" Sirius asked incredulously. His confusion caused him to stop struggling with Remus, who got the upper hand and pinned him, snatching his book back. "Nerd..." the dark haired boy muttered to himself, swiping his hair off of his face.

"Hey, Sirius, what's with the bruise?" Peter piped up, seeing the purplish mark on his friend's visage. James glared at him, and Peter realized his error.

Sirius turned red. "I hit my head," he muttered, his energy suddenly drained.

"I'm sorry," Peter squeaked apologetically.

"Whatever," the other boy mumbled, plopping himself into his seat and staring out the window.

"Good job," James said out of the corner of his mouth sarcastically.

Tension in the air was high, and it felt as though things wouldn't go back to the easy-going nature it had been before. Sirius was silent, Remus was trying (and failing) to strike up conversation, Peter was shifting awkwardly in his seat, and James was watching Sirius, wondering when the kid would drop the barrier he surrounded himself with. Sometimes it seemed like he let his friends in, but if things got weird, up it went, shutting out everyone with it.

What kind of stuff had Sirius been through to cause that?

* * *

The silence ensued the rest of the ride to the school, but by the time they arrived, Sirius seemed a bit more agreeable, and by the time they'd ridden through the carriages and were entering the main doors, he was positively giddy. 

Taking their seats at the long tables, he looked at the "sky" (really the ceiling), grinning when he noticed the nubs of fireworks still hanging from the rafters. Their last prank really had been marvelous.

James glanced up the tables to the staff tables. He didn't notice any new additions at first, but then he got a closer look at where the Defense teacher sat. The young, scarred Clarke wasn't there anymore; in his place was another man, not too much older than their previous Professor. That was when he noticed the teacher's brilliantly blue eyes, blue enough to rival even Dumbledore's, focused on him with a keen interest. He looked back, and finally the Professor broke eye contact. James' eyes continued to travel up the table, to Dumbledore, who was also watching him with a faint twinkle in his eyes. The elderly man raised the goblet in front of him, and James grinned back.

"Earth to Potter," he heard Sirius' irritated voice call, causing him to look back to his friend, who was sitting behind him. "We have to plan a prank."

"Have to?" James laughed. "I didn't know it was so dire, forgive me."

"What if I don't want to?" his best friend playfully challenged.

"Remus will jinx you."

"Don't drag me into this," Remus piped up.

"He will not! Right, Remus?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?" the brunette sighed.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, please shut your mouths for ten minutes," McGonagall snapped at them. They realized that all of the first years were lined up by the hat and everyone else was silent.

"Of course, ma'am," James replied, fighting to keep the grin off of his face.

The Sorting seemed to last forever. Sirius became fidgety in the "P"s, and by the time they reached the end, he was tapping his silverware on every available surface, including Remus.

Dumbledore got to his feet, interrupting the various chatter spanning the Hall. "I could give a speech," he started, eliciting groans from the older students and a shout from Sirius, "but Mr. Black seems to disagree... enjoy your dinner!"

An appreciative chuckle slid over the hall as food appeared on every plate and platter and drinks in every goblet. Sirius took a deep swig of pumpkin juice, sighing in refreshment.

"Ah, I missed that stuff," he said joyfully, staring down into the drained goblet.

"So, back to planning a prank..." James began.

Nearly forty five minutes later, they'd finished dinner and were stuffed with treacles and tarts. The food vanished from the table, and all of the conversation stopped abruptly when the Headmaster stood.

"To our new students, welcome to Hogwarts, and to our old hands, welcome back," he began. "A few announcements and reminders, but first, I'd like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Tom Wilson."

A smattering of slightly nervous applause rang through the hall, ending quickly. Dumbledore continued. "I shouldn't have to say don't go into the Forbidden Forest, but I know of a few students who won't listen," his eyes glanced towards the Gryffindor table. "Mr. Filch would once again like to remind you that magic is not permitted in the corridors. The list of banned material on his door has multiplied since last year and now includes fireworks and joke-Fizzing Whizbees. Second years and above may try out for the Quidditch team - sign up with your Heads of House or your prefects." He continued for a little bit, telling them of new happenings at the school, before finally letting them go.

"Hey, where's Fenwick?" James asked as they walked up the halls, looking around for the other boy.

"I heard that his parents are homeschooling him this year," Remus replied. "They thought he'd be safer."

"But no place is safer than Hogwarts," Sirius argued. Remus shrugged.

"I know," was all he said.

That night, three of the four boys slept very well. But Sirius remained up, sitting at the window seat of the room, staring out onto the grounds.

* * *

"Rule one: Never turn your back." 

Wilson was pacing in front of the Gryffindor and Slytherin second years, teaching them the "Four Rules of Defense."

"Why don't you turn your back?" he asked, directing the question at James and startling him.

"Er, so the enemy doesn't surprise you?" he tried.

Wilson nodded. "Exactly. Turning your back is like a death sentence." He continued his pacing. "Rule two: Have a strategy. What do I mean by that, Mr. Snape?"

Severus stared at the teacher evenly. "Don't go charging into a battle, because you'll do something stupid and get yourself or others hurt," he said.

"Very good. Rash actions tend to be the biggest weakness of English Aurors." He ignored the huffs of indignance from the children of Aurors. "Rule three: Know your basic spells. Expelliaramus, Stupefy, Reducto," he named, counting them on his fingers. "And the last and most important rule? Pay attention." He looked down at his roll list. "Miss Evans, what could happen if you lost focus during a battle?"

"You could be hit and not see it coming?" Lily guessed hopefully.

"And think about how that would effect your team," Wilson elaborated. "Maybe you're a core member. A stupid mistake, and you're down. Maybe your were protecting someone who couldn't protect themselves." He stopped talking for a minute, and silence rang throughout the room. "That's what it's all about." Never did he say what "it" was.

James and Sirius looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Just as they turned back to face the professor, Wilson called out, "Mr. Black."

"Er... yes?"

"Come up here." Sirius complied, standing with his professor in front of the class in the "pit" of the room. Stadium seating, where the students had their desks, surrounded the main ground where Wilson and Sirius stood.

"Can you do the spell Expelliaramus?" he asked.

"Of course," Sirius replied, confused.

"Because you're a pureblood." It was a statement, not a question. Sirius stared back, feeling a bit of offense rising in him.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not an insult," Wilson said, as if reading his mind. "It's just a fact. Pureblooded, and sometimes halfblooded, children are taught certain spells earlier in life. But Muggleborns miss out, learning it later in life. In fact, you should have learned it last year. Stupid Ministry..." He made a disgusted face. Several students looked uneasily at each other. He turned to Sirius. "Get out your wand."

Pulling it out of his back pocket ("Moody would disapprove of that," Wilson commented), he held it loosely in his hand. Suddenly, Wilson brought up his wand, saying, "Expelliaramus!"

Sirius' wand clattered across the floor.

"You weren't ready," he said simply. Sirius glared at him.

"I could've used a bit of warning."

"Do you really think a Death Eater's going to warn you?" he retorted. Sirius fell silent. "Get your wand."

The Black turned around to retrieve it. All of a sudden, though, it began to bounce across the floor towards him, landing neatly in his hand. He turned back around, facing Wilson, who looked very surprised.

"I could have gotten in myself," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Sir," he added quickly.

"You did," his Defense professor simply replied.

* * *

**So... any good for my first chapter back?**

**Pleeeeeease review!**

**–PotterScar**


	7. Impressive

**Hey, everyone!**

**I was so, so, SO happy at all of the reviews I received! How many is that, you ask? Seventeen! It's amazing!**

**So, I'm wondering if my infectious happy mood leaked into the story a bit.**

**Well, enjoy the chapter!**

**And in case you hadn't figured it out... I am continuing this story. And if my schedule loosens a bit I may even tie up some loose strings with some of my posted short stories - like Dear Prongs and Marauder Notes.**

* * *

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Seven:

Impressive

by PotterScar

"You did _wandless_ magic."

It was almost midnight. The four Marauders disregarded that they had class the next day as they all sat on Sirius' bed that night.

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Sirius said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But you did it," James replied, in awe.

"And you're only twelve," Remus added.

"Did you guys see the look on Wilson's face?" Peter piped up.

Sirius frowned slightly. "It isn't that amazing."

James wacked him in the back of the head. Sirius looked over, glaring at him. "What the hell, Potter!"

"Don't be an idiot," James started, "it is amazing! Sirius, you did _wandless_ magic!"

"Thanks for reminding me," his friend said sarcastically. "So, what do you think Wilson's next lesson is going to be? The ten rules of casting Expelliaramus?"

* * *

"Professor!" James called out, dashing after McGonagall as she headed to breakfast.

She tried to convince herself not to turn around, but against her better judgement, she paused, letting the second year catch up.

"Can I sign up for Quidditch tryouts?" he asked, smiling hopefully. "Sirius too?"

McGonagall sighed heavily. "Yes, Mr. Potter. What positions?"

"Chaser and Beater. Chaser for me, Beater for Sirius. He's good at hitting things, it's good for his pent up energy – " James ranted.

"Alright, Potter," the professor interrupted. "Now please go to your first class."

"Right, right..." James said, backtracking down the hall and dashing up the stairs. He made it to his Defense class just seconds before Wilson shut the door.

"Close cut, James," Wilson admonished, though there was a slight glint in his eyes. James wondered why he wasn't being formal like the previous day.

"Sorry, sir," James said, making his way up the steps to his seat. Sirius looked questioningly at him, and James muttered, "Quidditch." Sirius nodded in understanding.

Wilson shut the door with a BANG, and the entire class immediately quieted. Silently, he walked to the chalkboard and tapped it once with his wand. The word "BASICS" appeared in big, bold letters.

"Today, we'll be trying our hands at basic spells," he said, turning to face the students. He tapped the board again. "BASICS" was wiped clean and was replaced with the word "Expelliaramus" in smaller letters.

"Miss Black. What does Expelliaramus do?" Wilson asked, turning to face Narcissa.

"Um... it knocks the wand out of the other person's hand," she said, looking bored.

"Correct," the professor nodded. "You saw me perform it on Mr. Black yesterday. Actually... Sirius, do you mind coming up here again?"

Sirius shrugged, getting up and trotting down to the floor. "Back up about ten feet," Wilson said, and Sirius did as he was told. Just as he stopped moving, cushions surrounded him. He had a bad feeling about this.

Wilson, meanwhile, had walked to the board. He tapped the board, and the word "Stupefy" appeared in his bold scrawl.

"Miss Evans, what is Stupefy?" he asked the young redhead.

"It's the spell that knocks your opponent out for anywhere between twenty minutes to three hours," she said, sounding as if she swallowed a textbook.

Wilson smiled in approval. "Very good, Miss Evans," he said, and the Slytherins huffed, comparing Narcissa's response to Lily's.

"Are you ready, Sirius?" he asked Sirius, who blinked at him.

"Ready for what?"

"_Stupefy_!"

Sirius collapsed into the mountain of pillows, out cold. The Gryffindors gasped and the Slytherins snickered behind their hands.

"Who knows the spell to revive Mr. Black?" Wilson asked the class. Remus' hand shot up into the air. "Mr. Lupin."

"Ennervate," he answered.

"Excellent," Wilson said. He tapped the board, and the word "Ennervate" appeared. "I hope you guys are writing this down."

A flurry of quills were pulled out of bags, though many students looked up with interest when Wilson turned to revive Sirius.

"_Ennervate_," he said clearly, and Sirius roused slowly. Pushing himself up, he glared at Wilson, muttering thickly under his breath.

"Sorry," the professor shrugged. "Needed an example."

Sirius stood. "Any other spells?" he asked with a sigh.

Wilson half-smiled. "Sorry, Sirius," he said. He tapped the board with his wand, and "Accio" was written. "Mr. Potter, can you tell me what Accio means?"

"It's a summoning spell," he said, and Wilson nodded.

"And how do you summon an item?"

"You say Accio, and then the name of the object you'd like to retrieve. The object comes to you," James replied.

"_Accio_ _wand_," Wilson said, his wand pointed at Sirius, who wouldn't let his go. "Mr. Black?"

"Just showing the class that you can fight Accio," Sirius said innocently, a hint of a grin on his face. Wilson's face cracked into a smirk as well.

"Clever, Mr. Black," he said, his voice displaying traces of amusement. "He's just shown you my next point. It isn't an incantation, but sheer willpower. If you don't want to let go of your wand... then don't. Sirius, you can go back to your seat."

* * *

"You did WHAT?" Sirius asked loudly, alerting the attention of the entire Gryffindor table.

James winced, turning away from his dinner. "I signed you up for Quidditch tryouts."

"WHY?"

"It was sort of an impulse thing. Besides, you'll like it! Just try out!" James said encouragingly, smiling hopefully at his friend, who just glared at him.

"What position?" he finally said, giving in. His friend grinned broadly.

"Beater."

Sirius sighed. "Well... I'll give it a shot."

"Yes!" James said, punching the air. "It'd be so cool if we both made the team!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said, smiling despite himself. "Have a biscuit." He tossed the block of bread at his friend, hitting him in the head. James scowled, but ate it regardless.

Owls swarmed in, delivering mail to the students; forgotten items, letters from home, The Daily Prophet. A package hit Remus neatly in the forehead. Frowning, he tucked it into his robes, ignoring his friends' questions.

"You going to eat your bacon?" Peter asked James squeakily, unaware of the awkward silence.

* * *

It was another day of Defense class, a double period. Nothing much happened, besides Wilson reviewing the basic spells from the day before, using Sirius as his dummy once again, not that the young Black particularly minded.

Wilson called Sirius to his desk after class. "First off, Sirius, I'd like to thank you for being so cooperative in my lessons," he began, shuffling through the collected homework.

"Of course, sir," Sirius replied politely.

"And secondly... I imagine you've been wondering about that feat of wandless magic you performed not that long ago."

"Not me so much as my friends, Professor," the student admitted. "They're impressed. I don't really see what the big deal is."

Wilson raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you're joking, Sirius."

"No, sir."

"Mr. Black, most fully grown wizards cannot perform wandless magic, even with training. You can do it naturally at a young age. How do you explain that?"

Sirius shrugged, at a loss. "I don't know."

Wilson's piercing blue eyes stared into Sirius' grey. "I told Dumbledore."

Sirius blinked. "If you don't mind me asking... why?" he asked the professor, who smiled wryly.

"In this dark age, we need potentially powerful wizards like you. I've seen your marks, not to mention your use of advanced magic in your pranks. The wandless magic only proved to me that you could be something great. I'd like to do some more work with you."

"What do you mean, sir?" Sirius asked, suspicious suddenly. _Work_?

"Extra training. Only if you agree to it, of course," Wilson amended. "I'll let you think about it. For now..." He scrawled a note. "Give this to Professor McGonagall to excuse your lateness."

Sirius nodded, leaving the room.

* * *

"Alright, now, all of you know, of course, that we only need one Beater, one Chaser, and a Keeper," Captain Adrien Wood said, pacing in front of the twenty or so hopefuls standing in front of him. "Don't be too disappointed if you don't make it, alright? Beaters, over there with Lucas Hart. Keepers with Brandon Wheeler. Chasers, stay with me." Adrien pulled out a Quaffle, tossed it to Brandon, and kept another for himself. He tossed several clubs to Lucas, telling him the Bludgers were in the case at his feet. He then led the seven Chaser hopefuls to the other side of the pitch.

"Let's start with your aim, shall we? Everyone up," Adrien said, and James boarded his broom, watching Sirius swing his bat out of the corner of his eye. Grinning, he turned back, hovering in the air with a third year, three fourth years, and two fifth years.

"Alright, just throw the Quaffle through a hoop when it comes to you. Milan, you first," he said, throwing the Quaffle to one of the fourth years.

It came to James fifth. They cycled through several times, with James tying to score the most with a fifth year.

Adrien played Keeper next. He was excellent, blocking most shots, except a few of James' fake-outs that left even the seasoned Chaser, Alex Holstein, in the stands impressed.

"Alright, I'm going to go talk to my Chasers. You can watch the other tryouts while you wait," the Captain said, before jogging over to the stands.

James meandered over to Beater tryouts. Sirius was all over the place, looking as though he was having the time of his life. Lucas was laughing heartily, watching Sirius take out all of his spare energy on any Bludger that came his way – and the most impressive part was he was taking careful aim, only hitting the designated targets.

"Your friend's impressive," Lucas said to James, who grinned and nodded. "Sirius Black, right?"

"Yep," James said, grinning at his friend, who gave a Bludger a good whack towards a hovering bulls-eye. It exploded in a shower of sparks.

Lucas nodded. "Impressive," he repeated.

Meanwhile, Adrien was conferencing with Alex. "What do you think?" he asked the fourth year Chaser.

"Well, I like that fifth year, Hilary Gold."

"So, you thinking her?"

Alex pursed his lips. "No, actually," he said, surprising his captain. "I like James Potter, personally. The kid could turn out to be something impressive. He's already good as is. Those fake outs were excellent. The Slytherins would never see it coming. And besides, he's already bonding with the team." Adrien turned to look where Alex was watching. Lucas Hart and James were standing, talking as they watched one of the Beater hopefuls slam a Bludger into a target.

"So Potter then?"

"If you agree," Alex said, pushing his dark brown locks from his eyes.

"Well, I'll go deliver the news, then," Adrien sighed. "I hate disappointing people, though Potter's going to be pretty overjoyed."

Alex grinned. "We're going to have one hell of a Chaser sector this year," he said, before ambling with Adrien over to the hoops, where the captain blew his whistle. The Chaser hopefuls drifted over to him, James Potter among them.

"First off, I want to say that you all did excellently. Unfortunately, we can only take one Chaser. So, congratulations to James Potter."

James beamed. "Cool, thanks!" he exclaimed, just as Hilary Gold shrieked, "A second year!?!"

"Be glad we didn't choose her," Adrien mumbled to Alex, who nodded.

"Adrien?" asked Lucas. Adrien turned. "Meet your new Beater. Sirius Black."

* * *

"Congratulations, you guys!" Remus exclaimed, with Peter nodding fervently.

The foursome were crouched in front of the fire, Sirius and James still elated from tryouts earlier that evening. The drills had ended just in time; sheets of rain were falling from the sky, slapping against the window forbiddingly.

"Thanks, Rem," Sirius said enthusiastically. "And you guys will be at every game."

"Of course," Remus agreed, grinning.

"You're very happy for us," James said, slightly bewildered.

"Well, yes. And now that Sirius is a Beater, he'll have something to take all of his energy out on that isn't named Lupin," Remus said gleefully, grinning.

"I'll name one of the Bludgers after you, mate, not to worry," Sirius replied cheekily, and Remus' face instantly fell.

"You enjoy seeing me suffer."

"I can never get enough of it, mate."

"So, when's the first game?" Peter asked, deciding to stop Sirius and Remus.

"October first," James said, and Remus raised a brow.

"That's less than a month."

"Yes it is," Sirius nodded. "Rem knows his days, how about that..."

"Oh, shut it."

* * *

"Congratulations on making the team, Sirius, James," Wilson said in passing to Sirius as Sirius, James, and Remus walked down the hall to lunch. "Have you considered my offer?" The question was directed at Sirius.

"Sorry, Professor, I haven't given it much thought," Sirius replied apologetically, "but I'd like to take it."

Wilson beamed. "Excellent. We'll work out a schedule tomorrow. I want Gryffindor to win the Cup as much as you do, being a former Gryffindor myself; we'll work around practices."

"Thank you, sir. See you tomorrow." Wilson continued down the hall.

"What was that?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius shrugged. "Professor Wilson thinks I have potential. He wants to work with me on more advanced stuff."

James frowned slightly, looking away from his two friends.

* * *

**A little shorter than usual, but I recently made my school's Jazz Band and I have practice in twenty minutes. So, I hoped you enjoyed it; less drama than usual, but...**

**Next chapter is most likely the Quidditch game. I have some ideas for it, I think you all will like it...**

**Review review! And thanks for reading.**

**– PotterScar**


	8. A Bludger to the Head, a Fist to the Jaw

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Seven:

A Bludger to the Head and a Fist to the Jaw

by Potter Scar

It had been nearly two months since Quidditch tryouts.

Sirius had begun extra training with Wilson, who was pleased at his progress. However, Sirius didn't understand what progress there was to be pleased about. He could wandlessly summon, yes, but absolutely nothing else. He couldn't wandlessly banish, or wandlessly attack. He couldn't really do anything.

However, the Black was pleased with his progress in Quidditch. They had practice several times a week and Sirius loved it. James was right; it was awesome being able to expend pent up energy onto small destructive balls.

James had improved in Quidditch as well. Yes, he had natural talent as a Chaser, but the other, older Chasers were able to teach him tips and tricks that helped him get around pretty much any opponent.

However, the team had not prepared the new additions for the intensity of the week leading up to the first game.

It was the middle of October when Adrien Wood announced that they would be playing Slytherin that Saturday. Suddenly, the atmosphere at Hogwarts turned from peaceful to tense. Skirmishes between the players on both teams were frequent and violent. Adrien, Lucas Hart, and James all ended up in the Hospital Wing at various times. Sirius was ganged up on by a bunch of older Slytherins, but Professor Wilson managed to break it up before there were any serious injuries.

All players for both teams were good to play that Saturday, though Lucas still had a nasty scar near his left ear.

"Alright. First game." Adrien was pacing in front of them, clasping and unclasping his hands, and generally making the team nervous. He then proceeded to spend ten minutes going over the plays. The team, knowing pretty much everything Adrien was saying already, tuned him out. Sirius began to nod off.

"You guys are going to do great!" The captain's voice cut into everyone's musings and Sirius' nap. They stood, grabbed their brooms, and made their way out onto the field, chatting excitedly.

The Slytherin team happened to be emerging from their quarters as well. Sirius' eyes scanned over the team, looking for a familiar face. Bellatrix smirked back at him. He wondered faintly what position she played.

"You ready for this?" James' voice came from his left as the captains went to shake hands (or, rather, break hands). Sirius turned to him and let out a bark of laughter.

"No!"

Madam Hooch's whistle stopped any further conversation, and both boys raised into the air on their brooms. Sirius spinned his club in his hand, racing after a Bludger that was already careening towards Adrien.

"Thanks!" the older boy yelled back, before darting off. Sirius grinned, racing off as well in search of Bludgers to smack.

-

James hefted the red Quaffle from hand to hand, looking for another Chaser to pass it to. The match had been going on for nearly twenty minutes and Gryffindor was winning thirty to ten. James had scored one of the goals.

"Oi!" Alex Holstein cried, holding his arms up. James raised up to throw the Quaffle. Just as it left his hands, he heard a sharp whistling in his ears, and turned to see not only a Bludger but his dark-haired best friend racing towards them. Before he could react, Sirius had performed a crazy spin, putting himself between the Bludger and James, and smacked the Bludger towards his cousin, Bellatrix.

Sirius turned back to him. "What're you doing? Go!" he said, playfully nudging him. James heeded his advice, speeding off after Alex.

-

Gryffindor was ahead by a boatload. It was eighty to ten; James had scored three more goals, making him the highest scoring Chaser in the game. Not bad for his first time out, he mused silently.

Meanwhile, Sirius was having a blast, suddenly thankful to James for volunteering him for the team. He'd already caused one of the Slytherin Chasers to have to leave the game, and the other two, including Bellatrix, were sporting nasty bruises. He figured that they'd kick his ass for it later, but right now, he didn't care. He was the one with the bat.

Sirius silently wondered what Brandon Wheeler, their Seeker, was doing; the game had been going for nearly an hour and a half. He looked for the fair haired Seeker, and saw him diligently circling the field, his eyes peeled.

Suddenly, Brandon broke into a wild dive. The other Seeker saw him and sped after him, but there was no hope. Brandon's fist closed around the golden Snitch twenty feet from the ground.

Sirius grinned, so caught up in the moment that he didn't notice the Bludger speeding towards the side of his head until it was too late to move.

-

White. Lots and lots of white.

That's what Sirius saw when he opened his eyes. It was so white it hurt them. He "hmphed", disgruntled.

"Oi, Sirius. You alright?"

Sirius turned his head, which felt very heavy, to the voice. It sounded familiar…

"Guys! He's awake!"

The faces beside his bed were coming into focus. James was sitting next to Remus by his bedside, while Peter flitted nervously by the end of the bed. The rest of the team swarmed around the bed, angering Madam Pomfrey, though she did nothing about it.

"Hey, Black," Adrien said, casting him a half-smile. "Glad to see you in the land of the living."

James helped him drink some water by his bedside. "Wha' happened?" he mumbled thickly.

"Slytherin git hit a Bludger at you," James said. "Hooch suspended him from the team and Slughorn and McGonagall gave him a month of detention."

"Ex'lent…" Sirius mumbled in reply. "M' head hurts…"

"Ah, well," Lucas Hart said. "The Bludger did hit you in the head."

"Yeah, nice turban," James snickered. Sirius reached a hand up and felt the swathe of bandages around his head.

"T'rrific…" he sighed quietly.

"Alright, alright, all of you, out!" Pomfrey came over, shooing them away from the bed. "My patient needs his rest!"

-

A few nights later, Sirius still lay in the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey had yet to release him.

He was supposed to be sleeping, but as the sun set, he couldn't. He turned to reach for the Dreamless Sleep Potion when he heard a student enter. Peeking around his curtains, he saw Remus coming in. Curious, he thought about calling out to him, but Madam Pomfrey had already bustled over to him, put an arm around his shoulders, and left the Hospital Wing through another exit.

Still curious, Sirius lifted the potion and considered it for a second, before putting it down again. He wanted to see what was going on with Remus.

-

As the hours passed that night, Sirius could swear he heard howling and shrieks from the old shack down by Hogsmeade. He strained to see out the window from his bed, his eyes slightly blinded by the full moon.

Wait… the full moon?

_Don't be stupid, Sirius,_ Sirius admonished himself. Remus couldn't be…

Could he?

Sirius sat there for a moment, before starting to quietly laugh. He was being ridiculous. Remus, a werewolf? What a stupid idea.

However, Sirius couldn't stop thinking back. Remus left school once a month, with some ailing relative needing him, usually a mother, aunt, or grandmother. Sirius had never really bothered to look, but was it at the full moon?

Sirius remembered one night last year, when they had Astronomy on a full moon night. Remus hadn't been there, he remembered.

Sirius shook his head to clear it, and suddenly regretted it as a sudden jolt of pain struck through it.

Once the pain had subsided, he began to chew on the inside of the cheek. Should he tell James his suspicions?

_Remus isn't a werewolf._

But what if…?

-

Sirius jolted awake a few hours later to Madam Pomfrey clattering around.

"Well, Mr. Lupin, I must say you look better than last month." Sirius strained to see around the curtain. All he could really see was Remus sitting on a bed with a long scratch down his face.

_Last month?_

Several minutes and potions later, Remus was released, and Sirius waited for Pomfrey anxiously. A short while later, she made her way to check on Sirius, who was awake and waiting for her.

"Can I leave yet?" was the first thing from his mouth. "Ma'am," was the second.

She sighed, prodding his head and ignoring his whining. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"It feels perfect!" He grinned earnestly.

She sighed again. "Fine, Black. Try not to fall on your head."

"I'll do my best," Sirius said, running out of the Hospital Wing as fast as he could, heading for the tower.

When he entered the dormitory, Remus was stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling, James was fawning over his broom, and Peter was squealing about something he dreamed about. "Potter. C'mere."

James and Remus both looked up. Peter's squealing ceased. "Hey, Sirius, you're out of the Wing," James said, grinning.

"Yeah, that's great, get your butt over here."

James frowned. "What…?"

"COME ON!"

Sirius grabbed him and proceeded to drag him from the room.

"What the hell, Sirius?" James demanded as Sirius dragged him down the stairs and out of the common room.

"Library. Now."

"The _library_?" James yelped. "Black, have you lost your mind?"

"I need to tell you something huge!" Sirius insisted, dragging him through the large double wooden doors. They went to the mustiest, most unpopular and unpopulated section of the library.

"All right, what are you freaked out about?" James asked, turning to him.

"Have you noticed anything weird about Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Well, he studies way too much – " James said, and Sirius interrupted him.

"No, no. He leaves all the time to go visit his sick relatives!"

"Uh, so? His family has a faulty immune system. Not his fault," James argued.

"No! Where did he tell you he was going last night?" Sirius demanded.

"To visit his grandmother. She broke her hip," James said. "Why?"

"Well," Sirius said, "I was in the Hospital Wing last night and Remus came in! Madam Pomfrey took him out of the Wing and when he came back in the morning he was all bruised up with this huge scratch on the side of his face."

"He has a violent cat," James argued. "What the hell are you insinuating?"

Sirius hesitated. "Well… I mean, last night was the full moon – "

He was cut off by a fuming James. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he said, giving him a hard shove. Sirius looked at him, startled.

"James…"

"Don't 'James' me," James hissed. "Remus is our friend, how _dare_ you accuse him of that!"

"Look, James, it's not like I said he's Voldemort's nephew or anything!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly.

"You may have well have!" James snapped back. "Remus is _not _a werewolf. Jackass." James stormed around the shelves and out of the library.

Sirius stood there, stunned, before running after him.

"James." No response. He continued to walk quickly away from the Black. "James. _James!_" Sirius scowled, picking up his pace. "Potter, you git!"

Sirius caught up, grabbed James, and spun him around.

"I was _not _insulting Remus!" he whispered furiously.

"Get off me," James snarled back.

"James!"

"I'm warning you, Sirius," James said, glaring at him.

"James…"

A hard fist collided with his jaw, and Sirius staggered back, dazed. James was rubbing his knuckles.

"Told you to get off me," he said coldly, before storming off. A few students stopped, staring at Sirius, who prodded his jaw. Not broken, just bruised, he determined, before slinking back to the common room.

-

"What the hell happened to you?"

Sirius sat on his bed, looking into a mirror at his jaw. It was turning black and blue. "Nothing," he mumbled.

"Looks like you got punched," Peter commented from across the room.

"Real observant, Pettigrew," he snarled, and Peter winced.

"Sirius," Remus scolded.

"Remus, where were you last night?" Sirius suddenly demanded, staring Remus right in the eyes.

"I… I, uh…" Remus stammered, but was cut off when the dormitory door opened with a BANG!

James walked in, noticed Sirius, and scowled, before storming off to the bathroom.

"Sirius… did James do that to your jaw?" Remus asked, suddenly thankful for the interruption from the previous topic of conversation.

"So what if he did?" Sirius sulked, looking back at his mirror.

"Why would James hit you?" Peter asked. Sirius gave a sullen shrug.

"I think one of my teeth is loose," he grumbled, poking his tongue around in his mouth.

"Sirius…"

"Look, Remus, just leave it!" Sirius said, turning away from his friend.

Remus sighed, giving up on Sirius and going to the bathroom. He knocked gently on the door. "James?"

The door opened after a minute, and Remus came in. James was sitting on the floor, sulking. It was remarkable how similar Sirius and James were.

"So, any reason why you punched Sirius?"

James glowered at the floor. "Because he's a prick," he mumbled.

"… and your best friend?" James snorted.

"He's a Black," James said disdainfully.

Remus' eyebrows shot up. "I thought you dropped that."

James scowled. "A leopard never changes its stripes," he muttered.

"Spots."

"What?"

"Spots, not stripes," Remus said. "And Sirius has no spots. He's a good guy."

James snorted. "Well, that's ironic."

"What's ironic?"

"Hmph," was all James said, turning and crossing his arms over his chest.

Remus sighed, shaking his head and getting up. "Idiots, the lot of you," he muttered, leaving the bathroom.

He reentered the bedroom only to see Sirius yelling at a cowering Peter.

"Sirius!" Remus yelled. Sirius looked up at him. "What are you yelling at Peter for?"

Sirius mumbled a few words that Remus couldn't understand. The brunette boy sighed.

"I don't know what's going on here," he said crossly, looking from the bathroom James had barricaded himself in to a fuming, red faced Sirius, "and I don't know what the hell you did to make James angry enough to punch you – "

"James is a git," Sirius interrupted sullenly.

Remus scowled. "You know what?" he said, going over and grabbing Sirius' arm roughly. He dragged him to the bathroom. "Work this out!" He threw open the door, shoved Sirius in, and closed it, casting a locking charm. "Idiots…" he muttered again.

-

Sirius stood at one end of the bathroom, and James at the other. Both refused to look at the other.

Remus had shoved Sirius in nearly ten minutes ago and a word hadn't been exchanged.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you," James finally said stiffly.

"Me?" Sirius said. "All I did was tell you what I thought might be happening, and then you blew up at me and punched me in the jaw!"

"You were insulting him."

"How so?" Sirius eyes glinted dangerously. "As I said before; I wasn't calling him Dark or anything. If he is a… you know… it doesn't mean anything. I mean, I'm a Black, but I'm not Dark," he said.

James mused over this in the corner. "We shouldn't confront him," he finally said. "Not yet. Not 'til we're sure."

"We?" Sirius said, his eyes flicking from the mirror, where he had been observing his bruised jaw.

"We."

-

**Ah… eight months without a word from me. Yes, yes, I know, I know. Maybe I have no readers left. But maybe I do.**

**If you do read this, review?**

**I'm not making any promises. But I'm finally starting to love writing again. I guess we'll see what happens.**

**-Scar**


	9. Liquid Fire and the Peter Mauler

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Nine:

Liquid Fire and the Peter Mauler

by PotterScar

Remus had been bewildered when James and Sirius emerged from the bathroom back to normal.

"Shoving them together worked?" he had wondered.

But, nearly a week later, Remus felt that they were keeping something from him. Sometimes they'd be whispering together in the halls or at meals, and if Remus approached them they'd suddenly stop.

That Friday night, it happened once again in the dorms.

Remus got up from his usual library table, stretching and picking up his books. Most of the other students had left already, and there was merely a mousy looking first year and a burly sixth year left. The sixth year was muttering to himself, and Remus looked at him nervously, before edging out of the library.

The halls were pretty deserted. On his way up to the tower, he passed a Professor, two older students, and Mrs. Norris, Filch's bad tempered kitten. The creepy little thing stalked about the school at night, hissing at everything it encountered. This meeting with Remus was no different.

She hissed at Remus, who scoffed and continued up to the tower.

Unlike the halls, the common room was packed tight. People were celebrating the end of the week and the Quidditch match the next day – the second of the season.

He clomped up the stone stairs to the second year dorms and opened the wooden door that was decorated with an assortment of odd bits of parchment – Sirius' idea.

Peter was draped across his bed, fast asleep and snoring loudly. Sirius and James were lounging on the latter's bed, talking just quietly enough so Remus could only catch the last word "teeth" before James spotted him and coughed. Sirius stopped talking and turned. "Rem!" he grinned.

Remus, of course, was instantly suspicious.

"Hullo," he replied, frowning. "What're you guys talking about."

"Quidditch," Sirius said, while James said, "Pranks," at the same time. "Pranking the Slytherin Quidditch players. Nasty little slimeballs," Sirius amended.

"Huh." Remus didn't buy it.

Sirius cleared his throat. "So… uh… bubotuber pus, then?" he said, turning back to James. "Make 'em break out in welts?"

"Sounds good," James replied, his eyes flicking back to Remus.

Remus frowned and buried his nose in his library book.

-

"QUIDDITCH!!" Sirius hollered the next morning merely seconds after waking up.

James smirked at Sirius. He was already up and running his fingers through his wet hair. "Try not to get hit in the head this time."

"HA! No such thing will happen!" Sirius exclaimed as he strutted to the bathroom.

"That's what you think," James snorted. The meaningless bickering was interrupted by someone hammering at their door.

"Potter! Black! Arses out of bed!" Lucas hollered through the door.

"We _are_ out of bed!" a slightly muffled Sirius shouted through the bathroom door.

"Congratulations," came Lucas' voice, sarcastic. "Game time's in ten minutes."

"WHAT?!" James screeched. The bathroom door exploded open, banging loudly against the opposite wall. "Forget hygiene!" Sirius cried, flying out of the bathroom and grabbing James' arm. They both ran from the room, leaving two bleary best friends in their wake.

-

"Potter, Black. Where the _hell_ were you?" Adrien demanded when the two very sheepish looking second years, along with Lucas, entered the changing rooms. "Oh, never mind, it doesn't matter," he muttered, wringing his hands. "We're playing Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw, for Merlin's sake!"

"Adrien…" Alex started, looking worried for his friend. "It's just Ravenclaw. They're better then Hufflepuff, but only as good as Slytherin and not nearly as good as us!"

"Ravenclaw!" Adrien squeaked again. Brandon Wheeler, who was polishing his broom handle, frowned.

"Chill, Wood," he said simply, turning back to his broom.

"Chill? _Chill_? You want me to _chill_? You know what would make me _chill_?" Adrien cried. "NOT COMING TO THE GAMES TWO MINUTES BEFORE – "

Madam Hooch blew her whistle outside, effectively cutting off Adrien.

"Well, there you go," Sirius said cheerfully, grabbing his broom and dashing from the changing room.

-

It really was an uneventful match. Gryffindor won, James scored several goals, and Sirius avoided any head injuries.

"Another day. Another Quidditch match," Sirius said, sighing in a satisfied way. Remus raised his eyebrows.

"Sirius…"

"Yeah?"

"You've only played two matches."

Sirius scoffed. "Two matches more than you, Lupin."

"He has a point," Peter mused from across the room, where he was fishing his Transfiguration book out from under his bed. "Ow!"

The other boys looked up. "What's up, Pete?" James asked, sitting on Sirius' bed. Sirius grunted and shoved him off. James harrumphed and draped himself across Remus' bed instead.

"Something bit me!" He fished around and came out with a squirming rat. "What the hell? Who's rat is this?"

"Peter, this whole castle is crawling with rats," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Doesn't mean it's a pet. Think it has rabies?"

"Rabies?" Peter squeaked, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I highly doubt it has rabies, Peter, but you should go to Madam Pomfrey if you're worried," he said.

Sirius looked closer at the bite. "Peter, you idiot, it didn't even break the skin."

At that moment, the rat squealed and broke free, escaping into the shadows under Remus' nearby bed.

"We should name it," James said, looking down below him.

"Name it what?" Peter asked.

"The Peter Mauler," Sirius said.

"What? No!" Peter cried, but it was too late.

"PETER MAULER!" James said, thrusting his fist into the air.

"THE Peter Mauler," Sirius corrected.

"Right, sorry. THE Peter Mauler,"

"Oh, no," Peter and Remus both moaned.

-

The next morning, as the four boys were heading to Sunday breakfast, Remus took note of a new piece of tattered parchment tacked to their door – a crude drawing of a rather vicious looking rat with "THE PETER MAULER" scrawled above it.

"Your work, I imagine?" he asked James and Sirius dryly. They merely beamed. Peter looked absolutely mortified. "Can I ask you a question?" he continued.

"Of course, Rem," James said.

"Why not use new parchment? Why old?" he asked.

"Because we need to waste our new parchment passing notes in Transfiguration," Sirius answered.

"Duh," James added.

"So where did you get the old stuff? You know, if you're using all your new parchment in class?" Peter asked, as they stepped from the portrait hole.

James and Sirius were silent for a few seconds, contemplating their answer. Finally, Sirius answered.

"You need to lock your trunk, Pete."

-

The next day, the foursome entered Potions class. Slughorn was lovingly stirring a dark potion near the front.

Peter wrinkled his nose. "Smells like lard," he muttered.

"What's that?" Sirius asked. "Lard, I mean."

"You don't know what lard is?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. Sirius shook his head, and Remus quietly chuckled.

"What?" Sirius whined. "You know who I grew up with!"

"Right, right," James chortled. "In layman's terms, it's pig fat."

Sirius made a face. "Disgusting," he muttered.

"Yeah, kinda," Remus laughed as they took their seats. There were an assortment of potions surrounding them – about six cauldrons in all spread about the room, with the exception of the tiny cauldron in the front.

"Alright, settle down," Slughorn said loudly, waddling from behind his desk. "As you can see, I have some potions out for you to identify today. Very nice potions, these are. You'll be making a few of them this semester." He lugged his fat over to the closest cauldron, which was filled with a greenish liquid. It smelled a bit odd – a little musty, Sirius thought. "What is this one?" he asked.

Remus' arm shot up immediately. Slughorn looked amused. "Mr. Lupin?"

"Aging Potion," he replied immediately.

"Good. Take five points," he said. "I trust I do not need to explain what this does," he chuckled. He then crossed over to another potion, a sort of silvery-white one with spirals of steam rising from it. Sirius could swear he smelled peanut butter and ink. "And this potion?"

This time, Remus was stumped. It was Lily Evans who raised her hand. "Ah, Miss Evans?"

"Amortentia," she said. "It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

"Five points to Gryffindor," Slughorn beamed. "Can you tell me what is distinctive about it?"

"It has a mother of pearl sheen," Lily rattled off, "and the steam rises in characteristic spirals. It also smells of the things you find most attractive."

Sirius frowned. He found peanut butter and ink attractive?

"Good girl! Take another five points!" Slughorn crowed. The Slytherins tittered angrily. He moved to another cauldron. "And this potion?"

And so it continued, with Remus and Lily exchanging which potion was which. Nobody else bothered to raise their hands – the Gryffindors were in awe and the Slytherins were sulking.

Finally, Slughorn had finished all six and was about to start the lesson when Snape's quiet voice came from the right side of the room.

"Sir… what about the one on the desk?"

Sirius had the sneaking feeling that Slughorn hadn't forgotten the dark potion on the desk on purpose. He looked very happy that Snape asked, but quickly put a dark, forboding mask on.

"This," he said, "is commonly called Liquid Fire. Always black in color. A drop on the ground," he looked around the room, the fat on the jowl quivering, "and this whole dungeon would be in flames. Very dangerous. Very dark. Not many Potions Masters can make it. I, myself, required assistance from a former student. Optimo Kilpin. Perhaps you know his name?" He looked around the room eagerly. No one replied. Slughorn sighed. "Ah, well then…"

He continued pacing. Sirius found himself faintly wondering how he supported the fat that coated his body. "It's illegal, of course. If people just started making it left and right…" He shuddered. "I won't tell you what's in it, of course. Restricted items. Can't get them in Britain anyway. However, you can recognize this potion in several ways. Firstly, it's black as ink. Secondly, it has a distinctly smoky, bitter smell. Thirdly, even when not at a boil, it may bubble. If poured on the skin…" He winced. "Well, we need not dwell on that."

The class was silent, enthralled. Sirius suspected that was the reaction old Sluggy wanted.

There was something faintly familiar about that potion though. The smell, maybe?

Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Not at all.

-

**A bit shorter. But I like it!**

**As you can see I borrowed the basis of this scene from HBP. Different potion on the desk though.**

**I like seeing lots of reviews. That makes me very very very very very happy.**

**Liquid Fire! Sounds menacing!**

**Read and review please!**

**-Scar**


	10. One Month

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Ten:

One Month

by PotterScar

God, he hated the Dark Mark.

He hated how it looked, a black scar on white flesh. But what he hated most about it was the terrible burning sensation that occurred when Voldemort called his Death Eaters.

And right now was the last moment that Orion Black wanted Voldemort to call him.

He swore quietly as his Dark Mark seared under his robe. Regulus looked up from his dinner, puzzled, and Orion swiftly left the basement kitchen, rubbing his arm.

As soon as he had left the room, Orion Disapparated and appeared at Voldemort's side.

"Black," the Dark Lord hissed. It didn't sound friendly. Not in the least.

"My Lord," Orion muttered, bowing.

"Black," Voldemort continued, "how long has it been since I gave you your assignment?"

Orion swallowed. "Three… three months, my Lord," he said quietly. His voice quivered.

"Three months," Voldemort repeated. His eyes were hard and cold. "Three. Months. And yet there's no potion in my possession."

"My Lord," Orion sputtered, "Liquid Fire's a very complicated potion. It could… it could take months…"

"It HAS been months!" Voldemort roared. Orion flinched. Voldemort stared at him, eyes narrowed. "You have one month, Black, to bring me that potion," the Dark Lord snarled.

"I don't think – "

"One month!" Voldemort repeated.

Orion bit his lip. "Yes, my Lord," he whispered, before Disapparating.

-

"Sirius. Sirius! SIRIUS!"

"Mmm?" the young Black mumbled into his pillow.

"Sirius, we have class in five minutes!" Remus said, shaking his roommate's shoulder.

"I say we leave him," James said. He and Peter were by the door.

"But we're doing dueling in class today - " Peter started. He was cut off by Sirius suddenly toppling out of bed.

"Dueling!" he cheered, racing for the door, still in his pajamas. James managed to grab him.

"How about you get dressed first," James laughed, pushing Sirius gently in the direction of his trunk.

"Right, right," Sirius said. Barely a minute later, they left the dorms. Sirius' tie was askew and his hair nearly as messy as James', but that was the least of his concerns as the four sprinted for their third-floor Defense class.

"Close shave, boys," Wilson said dryly to the four as they shut the door behind them just as the bell rang.

"Are we dueling today?" Sirius asked excitedly before he even reached his seat.

"Yes, Sirius, we are," Wilson replied, trying to stifle a grin.

When Sirius had seated himself and the class had settled down, Wilson began pacing the room, as was his habit.

"As Sirius made clear," he said, "we are working on dueling today. Mind you," he said to the suddenly reenergized class, "we're not doing much today. Form, maybe one or two spells. Mostly, I will be demonstrating."

The class harrumphed, but still looked interested. Wilson tapped the board. As usual, a list of points came up.

"There are two dueling positions," he said. "One," he held his hand above his head and his wand straight out in front of him in his other, "is this. Legend has it that this was how Godric Gryffindor himself dueled. The other," he switched his wand so it was above his head, "is this. Slytherin's favorite position, according to myth." He lowered his wand and perched on his desk.

"Both have their advantages and disadvantages," he continued. "Gryffindor's position is accurate on offense but absolutely awful for defense. Your chance at hitting your target is high, but your chance of losing your wand is high as well. Slytherin's position is the complete opposite. It's extremely hard to aim and hit a target when your wand is above your head, but since your wand is so far back, it's also hard to knock it out of your hand."

Wilson now began to pace again. "It doesn't matter to me which one you prefer, though I have an idea about what you will do." A slight smile crossed his features, and a ripple of soft laughter spread through the room.

"So, any volunteers for some demonstrations?" And so it began.

-

"Sirius!"

The class had ended and students were slowly filing out of the room, still buzzing excitedly from that day's lesson. Sirius turned from his friends, and made his way over to Wilson's desk.

"Sir?"

"Tonight, eight o'clock." Sirius immediately understood and nodded. Wilson inclined his head, turning back to his papers, and Sirius left the room.

The others were waiting outside the door. "What was that all about?" Peter asked.

"Training thing," Sirius mumbled, feeling James' eyes boring into the side of his head. He turned towards his friend, only to see that James' eyes had turned to a painting at the wall. They were full of resentment.

-

"I don't know what his deal is."

Sirius was stalking about the dormitory, trying to speed up the clock. _7:48. Twelve minutes._

Remus sighed. It was just he and Sirius in the dormitory; Peter was getting extra help in Potions and James had detention with McGonagall.

"James is just a bit jealous, Sirius."

"Of _what_?"

"That Professor Wilson's giving you extra attention and not him," Remus replied, turning back to his Charms textbook.

_7:49. Eleven minutes._

Sirius pondered this new revelation. Finally, he muttered, "Well, that's stupid."

Remus turned a page. "Not really."

"How do you figure?" Sirius demanded, kneeling on Remus' bed. Remus sighed in a long-suffering sort of way.

_7:50. Ten minutes._

"James likes being the center of attention, and he likes being 'special'. No other student is getting this extra training, which makes you 'special'. Not James."

Sirius harrumphed. "It's not my bloody fault, so why is he icing me out?"

Remus shrugged. "Jealousy rarely makes sense."

_7:51. Nine minutes._

"Well, it doesn't make sense here."

"The fact that you can also perform wandless magic stings a bit also, I imagine," Remus continued mildly, as if he had not heard his friend.

"Well, that's not my bloody fault either!"

Remus sighed again. "I know, Sirius, so stop shouting at me."

_7:52. Eight minutes._

Sirius scowled, and looked at the clock. "I'd better go," he mumbled. "If you see James, tell him to stop being such a - "

"Sirius," Remus chastised.

Another "hmph", and Sirius had exited the dorms, passing James on his way out of the common room as the latter returned from McGonagall's clutches.

"Going to Wilson, then," James muttered sullenly. It was a statement, not a question. Sirius gave a noncommittal grunt and continued.

He mulled over this until he reached Wilson's door. Breaking from his trance, he knocked on the dark mahogany door.

Nothing.

Frowning, Sirius knocked again. No response.

As he raised a fist to knock again, he heard a voice to his right.

"Without your stupid pack of animals, Black? How odd." Severus Snape came from around the corner, sneering.

"Stuff it, Snape," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, clever response." Snape advanced several steps, cocky. Black didn't have his little circle of idiots, after all.

"Yes, I thought so. Why don't you go slink back to the dungeons, like a good little slimeball?" Sirius snapped, turning back to the door.

"Any particular reason you're lurking about at Wilson's door?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows and ignoring Sirius' last comment.

"Detention," he replied without hesitation, choosing not to divulge why he was there to Snape.

"Shocker," Snape muttered to himself. Sirius rolled his eyes. "What'd you do this time, set fire to the Ravenclaw common room?"

"Sorry, Snape, I'm not really in the mood for bonding. I could go get Filch for you, though," Sirius replied, smirking.

"Funny," the Slytherin remarked dryly.

"Mr. Black." Wilson approached the two from around the same corner that Snape had emerged. "Mr. Snape! What a surprise."

"Sir," Snape muttered. Without another word, he gave Sirius a cruel smirk and slunk down the hall.

"Nice to see you too," Wilson muttered sarcastically, making Sirius grin. "Well, Sirius, let's get on with it, then," the professor said cheerfully, shepherding Sirius into the classroom.

"So," he said, "it's been a while since we've last met. Several weeks, I believe." He perched on the edge of his desk.

"Yes, sir," Sirius agreed. It had been a few weeks. "Sir…" he continued. "I don't know if I can do this."

Wilson frowned. "Why not?" Sirius fidgeted slightly. Wilson stared at him intensely, and Sirius swore he felt his mind being probed. "It's Mr. Potter, isn't it?"

Sirius frowned. He'd imagined the probing, he convinced himself. "Yes, sir. How did you…?" The question went unanswered, as Wilson had continued talking.

"Sirius, I'll understand if you want to call off these lessons. At your age, the most important thing is preserving your friendships; it's much more important than extra lessons in defense," the professor said, turning away from Sirius to shuffle some papers on his desk.

Sirius stood silently for a moment. "Could I… could I have a day or two to think about it?" he finally asked.

"Of course," Wilson said. He didn't look at him. Sirius considered that his dismissal.

"Er… okay… I guess I'll see you tomorrow in class, then." And he left.

-

"You're going to continue it, though, right?"

Remus and Sirius were crouched in the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom. It was nearly midnight; James and Peter were asleep.

Normally Sirius wouldn't be crouched in the bathroom if he wanted to talk to Remus; however, he wasn't in the mood for James to overhear.

He had come back from the lesson much earlier than anticipated. The others had been puzzled; he hadn't explained, and instead shared his encounter with Snape. After that, James continued to be a little standoffish, and they'd talked about nothing important until both Peter and James were in dreamland. Remus had been well on his way when Sirius had bodily grabbed him and taken him into the bathroom to talk about what had happened in Wilson's classroom.

"I don't know," Sirius answered tersely. "That's why I'm asking you what to do." He stared at Remus, who didn't immediately reply. "Well? C'mon, oh great one, tell me what to do!" More silence. "Oh, come on, you always give me advice when I don't want it. The one time I do, though, you won't give it, you stupid - "

"Alright, alright, you idiot, let me think!" Remus cut him off. He pondered for a moment. "Look, let's forget James, do you want to continue with these lessons?"

"But - "

"No, Sirius," Remus interrupted. "Forget James. What do you want?"

Sirius sighed. "I want to continue with these lessons."

"Then that's what you should do!" Remus leaned forward. "James _will_ get over it. You'll be angry with yourself if you quit, and odds are James will be angry with you too. So keep at it!"

Sirius sighed again, leaning against the toilet. "I don't want him to be jealous."

"Ah, well. Too late." Another voice emerged from the door. James had heard them talking and had decided to investigate.

He trotted into the brightly lit bathroom as Sirius and Remus stared at him. Peter's voice came from further in the room.

"Wasgoinon?" they heard him groan.

"Nothing, Pete. Go back to sleep," James said.

"Mmkay," Peter said, and the snores started back up. James rolled his eyes and shut the door behind them.

The other two boys were still staring at him. "What?" James asked.

"Uh…" Sirius said.

"By the way, Sirius, Remus is right. If you quit those lessons I'll kick your arse," James said, perfectly serious.

"Really?" Sirius asked, brightening up. James frowned.

"… you're happy I'm threatening to hurt you?" he said.

"Ecstatic!" Sirius said, grinning.

"Look, Sirius, I'm sorry," James admitted. "I was being stupid."

"Yep," Sirius agreed. James glared at him.

"So is this ridiculousness over?" Remus asked hopefully. The other two boys looked back over at him.

"You know," James said, "I heard you yelling at Remus earlier. Nice one." He high-fived Sirius.

"Oh, thanks," Remus muttered sarcastically. He proceeded to sulk.

-

"Professor Wilson?"

They had just finished class the next day, and Sirius lingered after. Wilson looked up, his blue eyes scrutinizing the twelve year old.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Er… I just wanted to tell you I think we should continue," Sirius said. "You know, with the lessons."

Wilson nodded. "Alright," he said. "Next Monday, at eight."

"Okay, sir," Sirius said, and he left the room.

Wilson smiled, pleased with himself. "Ow," he muttered suddenly, scratching his burning left arm.

-

**Another chapter out!**

**I hope that clears up any questions about the potion.**

**-PotterScar**


	11. The Wolf's Out of the Bag

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Eleven:

The Wolf's Out of the Bag

by PotterScar

"Tom."

Dumbledore peered at the young man over his half-moon glasses. Tom Wilson stood before him, still donning his dark robes.

The young professor seemed to be a different man than he was in front of his students. He was drained; his eyes were hooded with dark circles under them. His black hair, normally tidy, hung about his ears messily. He was hunched and slumped over, making him look shorter than his six foot one.

Wilson sighed gently. "Albus…" he said. "It's Orion. Orion Black. He's the one brewing Voldemort's potion."

"And which potion would that be?" Dumbledore asked.

"Liquid Fire, according to Orion. He apparently only has two weeks left to finish it," Wilson said. "He's not nearly close, though. I overheard him talking to Nott."

Dumbledore sighed, turning to look out the window. The sun had set long ago; right now, Remus Lupin would be destroying the old house out in Hogsmeade. The poor boy, Albus thought, still gazing out the window.

"Sir?" Wilson's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Dumbledore turned back. Wilson wasn't much more than a boy himself, only twenty three, and yet he was suffering so much. The young man's electric blue eyes seared through his own. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore said, watching the younger professor intently. "You don't have to do this, you know. Spy for me."

Wilson laughed harshly. "Of course I do," he said. "I'm a damned Death Eater, and I hate them all. At least… at least this way, I can help. Help the Light."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "You're brave to do this."

"Consider it balancing the scales. I was a coward when I joined the Death Eaters last year."

More silence from the old professor. "Sirius' lessons coming along?"

Wilson seemed to perk up. "Yes, yes they are!" he beamed. "He's a brilliant boy."

"He is," Dumbledore chuckled. "That he is." His face turned grave. "He can't find out that you're a Death Eater, though. He'd never trust you again."

"I know, I know."

"Good." The silver-haired man rose from his seat. "You should go rest, Tom."

-

James and Sirius locked themselves in the bathroom again that night.

"I think he's a werewolf," Sirius announced once again. This time, James didn't hit him. He agreed.

"It is the full moon," James replied. "You sure you saw him go under that tree?"

Sirius nodded vigorously. "Madam Pomfrey froze it. Rem slipped right under it!"

"How do you go under a tree, though? I mean, isn't there… like… I don't know, dirt? Roots? Stuff like that?" James wondered aloud.

"Not if there's…" Sirius leaned in close. "A secret passageway."

James suddenly jumped to his feet, causing Sirius to yelp and fall backwards. "That's it! That's it! There's a passageway under there!"

Sirius frowned. "How do we find out for sure?"

James smiled. "Well, we'll have to go down there, won't we?"

The other boy grinned. "Tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good to me!" James danced around in a circle. "Now we'll know, once and for all!"

Sirius pondered for a second. "James… James, how will we confront him?"

James stopped dancing. "What?"

"How… how are we going to ask him what's up?" Sirius frowned. "I mean, we can hardly run up to him, grab his shoulders and go, 'Hey, Rem, do you turn into a big hairy beast once a month? 'Cause, man, that is so cool!' I mean, how is this going to go?"

His counterpart frowned. "I don't know. I guess that works."

"James!"

"I know, I know! Okay… we have to go about this calmly…"

"We should probably tell Peter…"

"No," James interrupted. "Peter will freak out and never talk to Remus again. No, we tell Remus we know on our own. Then we tell Pete."

"He'll feel left out, though."

"Sirius," James replied, irritated, "this isn't a game of Quidditch. We're not 'leaving him out'. This is serious. What if we lose Remus?"

"We'll fail half of our classes."

"Sirius!"

"I know!" Sirius said, holding up his hands. "I was kidding."

James sighed, sitting.

"How in the hell do we do this?"

-

Remus was exhausted the next morning, but not too exhausted to give his three best friends an excuse.

"I was visiting my aunt. She's ill."

"With what?" Peter had asked.

"Er… dragon pox. It's awful," Remus replied with some hesitation.

"Huh," James said, raising his eyebrows.

They had then been hurried along to class by Professor McGonagall, who had a head of bright green hair. The Marauders' doing, of course.

They had Defense first that day, but McGonagall needn't have hurried them along. Wilson was nearly fifteen minutes late.

"Sorry, sorry," Wilson said as he flew into the room. "Overslept."

"He looks beat," Peter said quietly.

"Think he had a full moon too?" Sirius murmured in James' ear, quietly enough so Remus and Peter, seated behind them, wouldn't hear.

"Shut it," James hissed in reply, glancing at Remus. The latter hadn't heard a thing. "Idiot."

"Jerk."

"Prat."

"Pigeon."

"What?" James turned to face Sirius.

"You're a stupid pigeon."

"Yeah… well…" James frowned. "You're a… you're a stupid turkey!"

"A turkey?!"

"A turkey!" James crowed, poking Sirius in the side. Sirius elbowed him. James elbowed him back.

"Boys," Wilson scolded.

"Yes?" Both Sirius and James whipped around. Wilson suppressed a smile.

"Please stop… whatever that was," he replied. "Fighting. Elbowing each other. Whatever you want to call it."

"Alrighty," James replied cheerfully.

"Alrighty," Sirius mimicked.

Wilson turned away from them again. "Today we are continuing dueling. This time you will be partnering up - "

"YES!" Sirius roared.

" - and practicing with each other," Wilson sighed. "Thank you for your enthusiasm, Mr. Black."

-

"Alright, so how do I hold my wand?" Peter squeaked.

Peter and Remus had partnered up. James and Sirius were across the room, already "dueling", if that's what you would call it.

"Like this, Peter," Remus sighed, showing him again.

"Oh… oh right…"

"You know what I just noticed?" James asked, looking away from Sirius and over his shoulder.

Sirius stopped trying to hit James with a spell. "What's that?"

"Lily Evans."

Sirius looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" Sirius turned as well. He saw her, but there was nothing particularly interesting going on, so he turned back.

"She's…" James trailed off. Sirius burst out laughing. He ended up on the floor clutching his sides and rolling about, attracting the attention of the rest of the class, including the aforementioned redhead.

"You - you like her!" he wheezed. James turned crimson.

"Alright, Mr. Black, c'mon. On your feet." Wilson had come over to their side of the room.

"Yes - yes sir…" Sirius was still laughing as he clambered to his feet.

"Stupid git," James muttered, still bright red.

"You totally like her!"

"I do not!" James protested, scowling at his best friend.

"'You know what I just noticed?'" Sirius mimicked in a breathy voice.

"I do not sound like that!"

"Oh, please," Sirius snorted.

James fired off a spell at him. Sirius managed to barely block it. "Hey!" he yelped. James smirked at him.

"Let's just duel, Sirius."

-

"How did she freeze the tree?"

Sirius and James stood before the Whomping Willow, hidden by the shroud of darkness.

"She poked it with that stick. Ten feet to your left," Sirius pointed. James retrieved the long stick, hefting it from one hand to the next.

"Where did she poke it?" James asked, looking at the tree and inching closer, keeping a close eye on the swinging branches. He ducked and one whizzed over his head.

Sirius followed his friend. "I couldn't tell exactly," he said, dodging a limb. "But it was around there." He pointed towards the base of the tree, directly in front of them. James could see a knot.

"What're the odds…?" he looked at Sirius, who shrugged. Reaching forward with the stick, he poked the knot.

It was as if a Freezing Charm had been cast over the tree; it looked as if made of marble.

"Right there," Sirius hissed, as James marveled at the tree.

"What?"

"There," Sirius repeated. "There's a gap in the roots. A hole!"

"Let's go!" James grabbed Sirius by the elbow, and the two dashed down to the base of the tree.

"You first, or…?" Sirius said. The two stared at each other for a second, before James firmly said, "We go together."

After a bit of maneuvering, James and Sirius managed to slip through at the same time.

"Blimey!" Sirius exclaimed. "I was right!"

They were in a long, dark tunnel. "Do we go, or…?" James asked Sirius with uncertainty.

"Of course we go!" Sirius started off down the tunnel. James scrambled to catch up. "By the way, if Rem asks, we had detention."

"Right," James said.

They were silent for a few moments as they walked down the tunnel. "So you really like Evans?"

"God, Sirius, not this again…"

"C'mon, I'm your best friend! I swear I won't make fun of you," Sirius pleaded, pouting at James, who sighed.

"Alright… fine, fine, maybe I like her a little. A little!" he repeated when Sirius looked as if he was about to burst out laughing again. "Oh, come on, you said you wouldn't make fun of me!"

"I know," Sirius said, trying in vain to hold in his laughter. The conversation was cut off when they approached a door. Looking at each other, they eased it open and entered the room beyond.

They were in a cold, dark room. "Bloody hell!" Sirius whispered. A chair stood barely six feet in front of them, destroyed, with scratch marks all over it.

James approached a grimy window. "We're in that old house. In Hogsmeade," he said to Sirius in a hushed tone.

"Really?" his best friend replied, still surveying the damage. "I think he really is a werewolf. I mean… this stuff is destroyed. Demolished. Desecrated - "

"I get it, Sirius," James said, approaching the former. "So… so we really do have to confront him."

"I suppose."

James paused. "Think it can wait until tomorrow?"

"No, I don't," Sirius sighed.

-

"Hey, Rem, can we have a word?"

Sirius and James had approached Remus in the common room that night after returning from their "detention". He had his nose buried in a book; however, he withdrew it when he heard Sirius and James speaking to him. He looked at them, puzzled.

"Alright," he replied.

"In private?" Sirius amended, deepening Remus' confusion.

"… okay. Dorms, then?"

After they had settled in upstairs, Sirius and James took a deep breath. James spoke first.

"Remus, we…" he stopped, and looked at Sirius pleadingly.

Sirius started, "Rem, we think… er…" He trailed off.

"What's going on, guys?"

Sirius started speaking again, feeling his voice getting weaker with every word. "Remus, we didn't have detention tonight. We went out to the Whomping Willow."

"You… what?"

"We went out to the willow," James continued where Sirius left off. "We saw you going down there last night."

"Wait… you guys…"

"Let us finish," Sirius said softly. "When me and James were fighting last month, it was because I thought something that he disagreed with. And my thoughts - our thoughts - were confirmed tonight. Everything up in that house up in Hogsmeade is destroyed."

Remus was looking at his two best friends, terrified. James and Sirius looked at each other again. James spoke. "Last night was the full moon."

"You guys…" Remus whispered, then stop and swallowed hard.

"Remus… Remus, are you a werewolf?" Sirius asked. "Because… because we think…"Remus didn't answer them. He got up and fled the dormitories.

Sirius and James were silent.

"Er… think that's a yes?" Sirius finally said. James groaned and fell back on his bed.

-

By the time Remus had snuck back into the room last night, Sirius and James had been fast asleep. He was gone, along with his books, the next morning before the three boys woke up.

"Where's Remus?" Peter had asked. Sirius and James decided that then was the time they should tell Peter their suspicions and what had happened the previous night.

By the time they were done, Peter was flabbergasted.

"Really?" he asked, eyes wide.

"We think so," James said, "but keep it to yourself, okay?"

"And don't talk to Rem about it. Not yet," Sirius added.

"Yeah, sure," Peter said.

-

Remus wasn't at breakfast either. However, he was in Defense that morning, though every time they tried to turn to talk to him, Wilson caught them and told them to face front. He seemed irritated and on edge that day.

"Remus!" Sirius caught up with the brunette boy as the latter practically sprinted from the class. James and Sirius bodily dragged their best friend into an empty class.

Remus stared at them, terrified. "We're going to be late for class," he stammered.

"Aw, it's just Transfiguration. Minnie'll understand," Sirius said, waving a hand. "Look, we need to talk to you… about last night."

"Please, Remus," James added. Remus continued to stare at them, before practically deflating. He perched onto a desk, staring despondently at his feet.

"You're right," he whispered miserably. "I'm a… I'm a werewolf, okay?" He couldn't look at them. "I guess you guys don't want to be friends with me anymore."

"What?" Sirius said, confused.

"You guys don't want to be friends with a… a monster," Remus said.

"What're you going on about? You're not a monster," Sirius said. "You've just got… a problem."

"A furry little problem," James added. Remus stared at him. "What?"

"So… so you guys still want to be friends with me?"

"Of course!" Sirius exclaimed. "We just kinda wish you'd been open with us about this."

"Though it was awesome to go down under that Willow," James mused.

"Yes, it was," Sirius nodded.

"You guys told me you had detention," Remus accused.

"What else were we supposed to say? 'Oh, Rem, we're going down under a tree. See ya later!'?"

Remus laughed. "Okay, okay," he said. He paused. "Does Peter know about this?"

"We told him this morning," James said. "That's okay, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Remus said, getting to his feet. "We should go to class."

They entered the corridor, which was deserted. "Ooh… we're really late," James said.

"Who cares?" Sirius said, and they started down the hall.

-

Orion vigorously stirred his potion. A puff of steam rose from the bubbling black surface.

"Orion!" Celena descended the stairs. Orion turned, his face turning from frustration and desperation to fury.

"I told you never to come down here!" he boomed. His wife didn't look frightened in the least. She rolled her eyes.

"You've got a visitor," she said, before climbing down up the stairs. "And I'd never come down here by choice. It smells disgusting."

Orion grunted and followed his wife up the stairs, leaving his potion to bubble.

-

**First day of school tomorrow…**

**sighs**

**-PotterScar**


	12. Christmas Cheer

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Twelve

Christmas "Cheer"

by PotterScar

"Sirius, get your filthy feet off of my work!"

"Aw, Remmy, my feet aren't filthy."

James, Sirius, and Remus were all grouped around a table in the common room (Peter was getting extra help with McGonagall), and their schoolwork was spread about. Sirius currently had his feet propped up on Remus' half-finished Charms essay.

"Remus, how do you spell 'mononucleosis'?" James asked, looking up from his essay.

"Why in the world do you need to know how to spell 'mononucleosis'?" Remus asked, looking up from his essay. "You're writing a Charms essay."

"Oh, I know. I just want to know how to spell it."

Remus sighed and spelled it for him.

"Thanks, buddy," James said, scrawling the word down.

"YES!" Sirius suddenly hollered, removing his feet from the table and kicking Remus' schoolwork all over the place. Remus let out a loud, angry snarl, glaring at Sirius. However, the other boy did not notice, as he had jumped from his chair so fast he tipped it backwards. He darted over to a window.

"What the hell, Sirius?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. Remus rearranged his schoolwork on the table.

"It's snowing!"

James quickly joined Sirius at the window, bumping the table as he jumped to his feet. Remus' schoolwork went flying again, and he growled again.

"Excellent!" James said, as he shoved Sirius out of the way of the window. "Two whole weeks before Christmas, and we have snow!"

"Will you two be quiet?" one of the sixth years said good-naturedly.

-

"So, Sirius, are you coming for Christmas?" James asked, frowning at his friend.

The two sat at breakfast the next morning. Remus was in the library with Peter, trying to get him ready for an upcoming Defense exam on dueling. The Great Hall was decked with Christmas decorations, and the result was truly magical.

There were large trees lining the walls and decorated with baubles. Garland was strung from the ceiling, and fake snowdrifts donned the corners. The Marauders had charmed the ceiling to look like it was constantly snowing, and McGonagall hadn't even minded.

"I don't think so," Sirius said sadly. "Mother and Father want me home."

James frowned. "Have you even asked?" Sirius merely shot him a sharp look that clearly told him to back off, but James wouldn't.

"Do you even want to come?"

"Shut up, James," Sirius snarled, glaring at the other boy. James scowled, but finally complied.

"Fine," James muttered. "You'll write though, right?"

"'Course I will," Sirius said, taking a big bite of egg.

James stared at him, frowning. "Are you sure you want to go home? I mean, last Christmas…"

"I'll be fine James. It won't be like last Christmas," Sirius reassured him. A bell went off. "Look, we have to go to Defense, so can we stop talking about this and just enjoy the rest of the semester?"

James sighed. "Alright, alright," he said, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Wilson, nearly a hundred feet away, stood up as well and left the hall, robes billowing behind him.

-

EARLIER THAT MORNING…

Wilson stepped into Dumbledore's office. It was ten past six – unbearably early to Tom Wilson, but an ordinary time to be awake for Dumbledore.

"I've confirmed that Orion received Optimo Kilpin in his home last night. From what I've been told, Kilpin's an extraordinary Potions Master."

"Was he there of his own free will?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've heard varying stories, but one thing that seems to ring true is that Kilpin was under Imperius.

Dumbledore's fingers formed a steeple. "Well, well, well. This is very interesting."

-

"I failed!"

"I'm sure you didn't fail, Peter," Remus said patiently.

"I failed!" he moaned again. The two approached James and Sirius, who appeared deep in conversation.

"I failed!" he told James and Sirius.

"Yup," James said absently. He and Sirius appeared to be discussing the upcoming Quidditch game that Saturday, the last before winter break.

"James," Remus scolded, when Peter let out a soft wail.

"What? Oh, sorry, Pete," James said, looking up. "We were talking about Quidditch. I'm sure you didn't fail the exam."

"I failed," was all Peter replied, and James shrugged, turning back to Remus. "We're playing Slytherin," he explained.

"Ah," Remus said. "So this is the last game before we go home next Tuesday?"

"Yeah," Sirius confirmed miserably.

"You don't sound too happy," the werewolf said, leaning against the stone wall. "Aren't you staying with James?"

"Why do you assume that?" Sirius muttered, crossing his arms.

"Well… I mean, after last year…"

"Just because last year's Christmas was terrible doesn't mean this year's will be!" Sirius suddenly exploded. He stormed off, leaving his bewildered friends in his wake.

-

Merely days later, they were kicking off their brooms on the pitch.

Sirius had been cool for the remainder of the week, determinedly ignoring the subject of Christmas and changing the subject if it ever came up. The others soon stopped mentioning it, talking about other things and treading carefully around the other boy.

The pitch was covered in a thin, fresh layer of snow, and the air had a sharp bite in it. Sirius shivered in his Gryffindor robes, moving his club from one hand to the next as he darted off down the pitch to attack a Bludger.

Gryffindor was up 60 to 10 when it began to snow again, and that was when their troubles began.

"And Potter misses by a mile," the Gryffindor commenter, Jeffery Adams, said miserably, as James tried and failed to throw the Quaffle in one of the hoops.

Sirius was having trouble determining where the Bludgers were, as was Lucas. The two weaved about the field, noticing Bludgers too late. This resulted in Alex Holstein being hit in the back of the head and taken off of the pitch.

Still, James and Adrien managed to regain control of the game, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team won. They had gotten lucky, as Brandon Wheeler had managed to close his hand around the Snitch, edging out the Slytherin Seeker by a few inches.

-

Alex Holstein had to spend the night in the Hospital Wing, and Jack Thames, one of Alex's fellow fourth-years and Gryffindor's Keeper, kept a sharp eye on him until Madam Pomfrey shooed him from the Wing.

"How is he?" Adrien asked Jack upon his return to the common room. James and Sirius sat nearby by the fire, and turned to listen.

"Unconscious," Jack said. "That Bludger hit him hard." Lucas and Sirius looked down guiltily. Both had been barely fifteen feet away on either side when the Bludger had hit Alex.

"Sirius Black?"

The six Quidditch players all looked up at the same time. A seventh year stood before them – the Head Boy, Frank Longbottom. He was holding a small envelope.

"Owl delivered this to you at the window," he said, tossing Sirius the letter.

"Thanks," Sirius said, ripping open the envelope and extracting the letter.

_Sirius._

_You are to come home for Christmas._

_However, you may leave the day after Christmas and go to the Potters if you so wish._

_-Father_

"Your parents?" James questioned.

"Yeah," Sirius said, handing the letter to James. James read it.

"Sirius, this is excellent! You can come to my house afterwards!"

Sirius grinned at his excitement. "Yeah, I can," Sirius said, suddenly feeling a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach.

-

It was a week later, and that warmth had disappeared completely.

Sirius stood in his dark room and stared at his black eye in the mirror, remembering that past week.

His mother had picked him up, none too happily, at Kings Cross and had very nearly dragged him off of the platform. After that, things just got worse.

He was an idiot, Sirius would admit that. He never should have said what he said to his father. And Sirius' words had caused his father to strike him, causing his bruised eye. So, really, Sirius concluded, it was his own fault.

In his hands, he held a book, tossing it from hand to hand. He'd stolen it from the library while doing some reading over the past few days. A page had interested him so much that he'd decided to share it with James.

_Who says Remus has to transform on his own?_ Sirius had thought as he swiped the book, looking at the page that interested him most.

Sirius drifted quietly over to his bed, putting his robes in his bag. He was Flooing to the Potters in twenty minutes. He wondered what he would tell the Potters to explain the black eye.

_Next Christmas_, Sirius decided resolutely,_ I'm not coming back._

But he'd still have to be there during the summer, he remembered. With a frustrated groan, he zipped up his bag. There wasn't a present in sight. Christmas had not even been acknowledged. His mother took Regulus God-knew-where, and Orion locked himself in the basement. Sirius remained in his room, unresponsive to James', Remus', and Peter's letters.

He put the strap of the bag over his shoulder, and turned back to the mirror. His eye wasn't that bad, he reasoned. James would surely notice it, however, he realized sullenly.

Hoisting up the bag, he stared at himself for a second longer. His hair was tidy and clean, his robes fresh and unwrinkled. Other than his eye, he looked like a well-groomed young man.

Sirius turned away from his sad reflection, and left the room, going downstairs. As he went, he decided that he wouldn't insult his father again, at least not in front of his face. He didn't want to be hit again.

The fire was already set up for him to Floo to the Potters. His parents and brother were nowhere in sight.

Sirius moved his hair a bit, in an effort to hide his bruise, and stepped into the green flames.

"Potter Manor," Sirius said clearly, and he spun about in the flames, tucking in his elbows. Despite this, he ended up bumping his elbows in the fireplace. Finally, he reached his destination, and staggered from the fire, rubbing the soot from his robes.

"Sirius!" James came into the living room, beaming. Sirius remembered the room well; it was the same room James was abducted in.

"Hey," Sirius said, smiling weakly and waiting for James to comment on his black eye. He didn't. That was when Sirius realized that his face was covered in soot, so his eye blended in.

"Nice look," James said, trying not to snigger. Sirius shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Jerk."

"Prat."

"Sirius, how nice to see you!" Michelle Potter entered the room, smiling at the boy standing by her fireplace. "Daniel would be here to greet you, but he's off at the Ministry. Oh, dear, let's get you cleaned up."

Sirius' heart sank, and Michelle's voice seemed to be coming through fog when she uttered, "Scourgify."

His robes cleaned themselves, as did his skin. His face turned back to flesh color, clean.

Except for the bruised ring around his eye.

"Merlin!" James said, noticing the blackened eye. "Sirius…"

"Oh my," Michelle frowned. She pointed her wand at Sirius, and he felt a strange tingling in his eye. He realized that Michelle must have healed it. "Sirius… who did that to you?" Her voice took on a strange, almost detached tone as she scrutinized Sirius' face.

Sirius put on his most convincing, innocent face, and he said, "My brother clipped me when I tried to steal his book."

"Huh," Michelle said, not sure whether to believe the boy or not. She stared a few more seconds, before finally accepting the story. "Well, let me make you two a snack."

James beamed. Both his mother and father had become much more attentive since he was abducted that summer. He remembered last year, when he'd felt neglected by his parents. Not anymore.

Michelle left the room, and James turned to Sirius. "Alright, Sirius, spill."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, refusing to look at his best friend.

"The eye. I know Regulus didn't do it."

"You do, do you?" Sirius challenged. "You calling me a liar?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." The two boys stared determinedly at each other for several seconds, before Michelle called, "It's ready!"

Sirius broke the staring contest and went to the kitchen. James hesitated, then followed, not sure what to think.

-

"You gotta tell me the truth."

James and Sirius sat in the living room that night. Michelle and Daniel were in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

"I don't 'gotta' tell you anything," Sirius retorted, irritated. James had been annoying him since he'd arrived. "I told you the truth. Regulus hit me."

James glared at him. "Your dad did it. Or mum."

"No, they didn't," Sirius replied sharply. "Drop it. Now."

"Sirius - "

"I said drop it!" Sirius snarled, and James was so taken aback with his hostility that he complied. "I found something," Sirius said after a minute or two.

"What's that?"

Sirius reached down to his bag, which he had not taken up to his room yet, and pulled out a thick book. He opened it to a dog-eared page, and held it out to James.

James scanned the page, his eyes landing on the paragraph that Sirius was pointing to.

_Humans, when exposed to a werewolf, are in certain danger. However, animals, while holding a risk of being attacked, are not infected if bitten/scratched. The werewolf sometimes finds calm when around members of the canine species. These two facts hold true to Animagi as well. An Animagus holds no risk of being infected if bitten if they are in their animal form._

James looked up and frowned at Sirius. "You don't want to…"

Sirius grinned, his eyes lighting up and his prior hostility forgotten. "I do, James."

"Merlin, Sirius, do you have any clue how hard that will be? Hell, it'll be impossible!"

"Oh, no it won't," Sirius said, waving away James' concern.

"Are you daft? And even if we do succeed, it's illegal. We'd be expelled."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Only if we're caught."

The two stared at each other for the second time that day, before a smile began to spread across James' face.

"I can't wait to see Remus' face when we tell him this."

-

**I feel bad having Sirius beat up, and I know that makes you guys sad too. But it is necessary to the story. Have no fear, he does run away in four years.**

**Hmm… are James and Sirius on to something?**

**I guess you'll have to read the next chapter to find out!**

**-PotterScar**


	13. The Wizard’s Guide to Animagi

Shades of Gray: Year Two

Chapter Thirteen:

The Wizard's Guide to Animagi

by PotterScar

Sirius, for one, was glad Michelle Potter had healed his bruised eye.

As James and Sirius weaved through the crowd, he felt a sense of relief as eyes passed over him (as opposed to last Christmas, when they openly stared at his bruised cheek).

"Will you hurry up?" James hounded him, trying vainly to pull him through the crowd. "We're never going to get a good compartment!"

"James, you know as well as I do that Remus gets here, like, three days early," Sirius responded with a sigh. The train whistled and began to blow steam.

"Best hurry up, boys," came a voice from their left. Wilson stood there, supervising the students. He grinned at them, looking much better then he had before break. The train whistled again.

Sirius and James entered the train through the nearest door and dodged around a gaggle of fourth-year girls, peering through windows as they went.

"Bloody hell, he had to choose the last compartment," Sirius grumbled fifteen minutes later, when they reached the very end of the train and had peered into the very last compartment, where Remus sat, reading happily.

"Hey," he said, when Sirius and James had dragged themselves into the compartment. James gave him a withering look. "What?"

"Way to go to the back of the train, Rem," James said, flopping down.

"I found us an empty compartment!"

Sirius flicked his hair, giving a very dramatic eye-roll. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Whatever? Whatever?! Sirius, do you have any idea how hard it was to get this compartment?!"

"Jeez, Remus, don't be such a girl," James said, with a frown.

"Remus is a girl?" Peter had just come into the compartment, and was raising his eyebrows at the three boys. Sirius raised a hand in greeting to Peter. He'd come to like the boy over the past year, and didn't really consider him the hanger-on he appeared to be before. No, Peter Pettigrew was one of them, a loyal Marauder.

"Hey, Pete," James said, from the corner of the compartment. "Yeah, Remus is kinda in denial about the whole thing… won't admit it…"

"Oh, be quiet," Remus said, rolling his eyes and putting his book away. His robe sleeve slipped and a long, dark scar was lingering on his arm.

"Oh… Remus, we forgot it was the full moon," James said, trying hard to keep a note of shame out of his voice as remembered, for the first time, that the full moon had occurred two days before Christmas. Hell, he'd even looked at it that night and it hadn't even occurred to him that Remus might be out,"How was it?"

Remus shrugged. He was adjusting to James, Sirius, and Peter knowing, but it was still a bit odd to him. He was so used to absolute secrecy that it felt almost uncomfortable and threatening with non-family knowing. Remus silently chastised himself; how could he ever think that of his friends?

"Earth to Remus!" James was prodding the other boy. "Wanna go find the food cart?" His eyebrows were raised, and his eyes were communicating a silent message; he wanted to talk to him, alone.

"Sure," Remus said, taking his time marking his page delicately. James made a noise of impatience, and Remus rolled his eyes, continuing to go at his own pace.

"I'll hold down the fort," Sirius said cheerfully, taking out his Sneakoscope and shaking it. "This thing is broken," he said with a frown.

"Nah, there's just no one untrustworthy around," Peter said. Sirius looked at him, startled.

"How'd you know what this was?" he asked. "I mean, I'm not making a dig at your Muggleborn-ness, but…"

Peter smiled, unconcerned. "I found one in the corridor last year. When I turned it in to McGonagall – you know, I thought someone might've lost it, I tend to do that a lot – she mentioned what it was. I decided to look it up in the library."

"Why don't you do that for classes?" James asked, and Remus elbowed him. "What?"

Peter didn't seem to mind the question, though. "Dunno," he said simply. "If you guys are going to the food cart, can you bring me back a Pumpkin Pasty?"

"Sure thing," James said, grabbing Remus' arm and dragging him out.

"Alright, Potter, spill," Remus said, as the pair traipsed down the hall. James looked unsure now. "If you dragged me out here, you better have something to tell me."

"Wow, Rem, someone's cranky," James sighed. "Okay, it's two things. First: how was the full moon? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Remus insisted quietly. "And can you please keep your voice down?"

"Sorry, sorry," James flushed.

"And number two was…?"

"Sirius," James finished, looking a little grim. "Oh, would you look at that, there's the cart!" He nearly ran up to the witch pushing it. Purchasing himself an armful of food, along with Peter's Pasty, he started walking back to the compartment.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Remus said, grabbing James' shoulder. "Get back here. What about Sirius?"

James chewed on his lip. "Rem… look, you can't tell him I told you. You can't mention this at all. I just want an opinion on something. You swear you'll keep it to yourself?"

"'Course, James," Remus frowned. "What's going on? Is Sirius okay?"

"I don't know," James confessed. "You know how he came over to my house after Christmas?"

"Yeah." Remus felt the tiniest pang of jealousy, but he knew he couldn't have gone anyway.

"Well, when he Floo'd in… he had a black eye. He said his brother gave it to him, but I don't believe him."

"Why not?" James seemed taken aback by this question.

"What?"

"Why don't believe Sirius?" Remus repeated. James sputtered.

"Well… well… Remus, you saw his face last Christmas! And don't tell me his brother could've given him that one too, it was way too big for that!"

Remus sighed. "James, we shouldn't assume anything about Sirius' home life. If Sirius says he got it from his brother, then you should believe him."

James was silent for a second. "But what if his parents are hurting him?" he quietly asked.

"When he wants us to know, he'll tell us," Remus replied, with a slight frown. He and James were both silent.

"Merlin, Remus, I hope you're right," James said, sighing, before the two headed back to the compartment.

-

"What took you two so long?" Sirius asked as the other two boys walked through the boys. He didn't notice the slightly awkward glance shared between them.

"Long line," James lied. "Chocolate Frog?"

"Excellent," he said, holding up a hand and turning away from he and Peter's game of chess as one of his knights brutally slaughtered one of Peter's pawn, then began laughing raucously.

James tossed him the frog, which Sirius gobbled as he looked at the card. "Aw… Montgomery Jordan again, I must have ten of him…"

Peter, meanwhile, was snacking on his Pasty, while Remus sighed and settled back to read. Sirius' eyes suddenly gleamed, and he dug through his things, pulling out the dog-eared book.

"Aw, Sirius, not now," James groaned, recognizing the book immediately. Sirius just shoved the book under Remus' nose. "Sirius, we were going to wait until later! You agreed, you jerk!"

"What's this?" Remus queried.

Sirius just said, "Open to the marked page and read the circled paragraph." Remus frowned, opening the book, ignoring James' protests.

"Sirius, you stupid idiot…" James said, as Remus' frown deepened as he read the paragraph.

"Is this some kind of joke?" the werewolf asked softly. Sirius shook his head.

"No! We could totally do it - "

"Are you off your rocker?" Remus exploded. "Do you know how dumb this is? How dangerous? It's illegal, you moron!"

"What's illegal?" Peter asked, having finished his pasty.

"We're becoming Animagi," Sirius said offhandedly.

"No, you aren't," Remus said sharply.

"C'mon, Remus, we wanna help you!" James said, deciding that it was too late to go back and participation.

"You can help me by not doing this!" Remus slammed the book shut, his eyes gleaming angrily. "What's wrong with you two? Can't you see how dumb an idea this is? Even if you guys do pull it off – which you won't! – I'm not letting you come with me! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Remus," Sirius whined. "We can do it. We'll find something in the library – sneak into the Restricted Section!"

"Oh, geez, now you're sneaking into the Restricted Section…"

"Do you like being alone during transformations?" James asked sharply. "This says having Animagi around can calm you. You'll hurt yourself less! Please, Remus… let's at least try…"

Remus and James stared at each other. Remus then turned to Sirius, receiving the same defiant stare. Even Peter looked set on becoming an Animagus. Before their eyes, he seemed to deflate.

"Nothing I say will stop you," he deadpanned. Sirius whooped.

"We sneak into the Restricted Section tonight!" he crowed.

"How're we going to get in there without being seen?" Peter asked. James suddenly sat up so fast that his back cracked loudly. He winced but still seemed excited. He nearly fell down trying to get to his trunk.

"I was gonna show this to you, Sirius, but I completely forgot," he began to rant. "I got it for Christmas this year… it was from my dad… oh, where is it…"

"What're you going on about?" Sirius questioned. James finally pulled out something with a flourish.

It looked almost like silvery liquid, and as James whipped it around, it rippled slightly. A cloak was in his hands, and Remus and Sirius' eyes widened.

"That's… that's…" Sirius croaked. Peter looked questioning.

"What is it?" he asked.

"An Invisibility Cloak," Remus answered quietly. "I've never seen one before."

"My dad gave it to me," he repeated proudly. "It's been going through the family for generations."

"Wow," Sirius whispered. "And it hasn't faded or anything… not a rip or hole…" He sounded like he was wondering aloud. "A real invisibility cloak."

"Yep!" James beamed. "We can use it to sneak in. It's gigantic, it should fit all of us!"

Remus frowned. "We shouldn't all go. Maybe just you and Sirius?"

"Who'll keep us in line?" Sirius asked, and Remus snorted.

-

"Ow! You stepped on my foot!"

"Sorry!"

"Oof! Sirius!"

"Sorry!"

"Sirius, that's my head!"

"Sorry!"

"This isn't working," James sighed. They were still a corridor from the library, and they'd been walking for nearly twenty minutes. It was slow going; they had to stay together, completely covered by the cloak, and they'd passed two teachers along the way.

"Only a corridor to go," Sirius said encouragingly.

"Yeah, you'll probably shove me down the stairs," James muttered. They continued to silently shuffle. Sirius, indeed, almost knocked James down the stairs (he swore up and down it was an accident) and they finally reached the heavy wooden library door. They peered up nervously. The library was a mysterious entity during the day; who knew what horrors it would hold after dark?

"You open the doors," James hissed.

"What? No way! You open them!"

"You're closer."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are. Open the doors!"

"Who's there?"

Filch shuffled around the corner, holding up his lamp. Sirius wondered why he walked like he had arthritis. He couldn't have been much older than forty.

"Who's there?" the caretaker repeated, shaking his lamp furiously. Sirius and James remained frozen. He glared at the empty hall, before storming off, muttering about the "damn kids" in the school.

"He makes me wish Pringle had stuck around," James muttered after Filch had stormed off.

Sirius reached over, and pulled at the door handles. The door gave an inaudible squeak – Filch, if anything, kept the hinges well oiled – and they silently slipped into the library.

The pair slunk over to the Restricted section, and tore the cloak off. "Alright, we're looking for something about Animagi," James whispered, as he began to scan the shelf, using Lumos to light his way.

"I know," Sirius replied, looking at the bottom shelves.

An hour passed, with James and Sirius growing sleepier by the second and no book in sight. Finally, Sirius, yawning, picked up a tiny, leather-bound book that was almost completely hidden by a book called, "Moste Potente Potions". Sirius shoved the larger book aside irritably, and it fell to the side, where it would lay until a certain bushy-haired girl came along.

"The Wizard's Guide to Animagi," Sirius whispered. "Jackpot!"

"Let's get out of here," James hissed, and he through the cloak over both of them as Sirius tucked the book back into his robes.

The two crept quietly out of the library and back to their dormitories.

-

"Is it what we need?"

Remus scanned the book as the other three Marauders needled him, wanting to know if the book would teach them to transform into an animal.

"I think so," Remus said, flipping the pages. "Yeah… it talks about the potion we need to make… oh, no, this is going to be difficult… then we have to perform this spell... very advanced magic… then we have to take _another _potion… and you finish off with another spell. Guys, I don't know if we can do this."

"Sure we can," Sirius said bracingly, grabbing for the book. "C'mon, how hard can the potion be – oh…" The boy gazed down at the page, frowning. "Where are we going to get dittany?"

"Hospital Wing," Remus said. "When you put it on wounds, it reduces scarring. But Fluxweed… we'll have to break into Slughorn's private cupboard for that one. I can get the dittany, though. I'll just swipe it next full moon." He looked sick at the idea. "We're really doing this."

"I guess we are," Peter said, in slight awe.

Remus was still reading. "This one potion will take us the rest of the year," he said. "It has to brew for three months… at best, we might be able to perform the first spell by the end of the year. We'll have to brew another potion too… if we start it at the start of next year… but it takes eight straight months. So if we get that done by the end of third year… then we can perform the second spell by the beginning of fourth year."

"So, conceivably, we could be Animagi by fourth year?" Sirius asked. Remus shook his head.

"Nah… remember, this is if all goes well. We'll probably be really delayed doing a lot of stuff. You guys have to drink the potions and do the spells at the same time. Also, the second spell takes a ton of time to actually work, according to this. And then you have to practice a ton to actually turn into your form. Fifth year, I'd say," Remus finished.

The others seemed to deflate. "That's three years," Sirius sighed.

"Well, we'd better get started," James said.

-

The four walked the next morning to their morning Defense class, whispering the whole way.

"I need to find a place to brew it," Remus said quietly. "We need to do that before we can even start the whole thing. And then we need to either buy or steal about fifty different ingredients. We're not going to get started until third year, I can guarantee that."

"You said last night that we could perform the first spell by the end of the year!" James exclaimed.

"I was being optimistic," Remus said. "The ingredients don't expire, anyway. We can steal what we can this year, then buy the rest over the summer. But we have to find a place to actually brew the thing first."

Sirius and James looked at each other. "We're on it," Sirius said, as they opened the door to class.

Wilson was shuffling his papers at his desk. He acknowledged the four boys as they took their seats, then winced and turned away from his students, rubbing his left arm irritably.

"Right," he said, once the burning sensation had passed. "I graded your exams. Your performance grades on here," he waved the sheaf of papers, "along with your written grades." He began to distribute the papers.

"I got an Acceptable," Peter whispered excitedly. Sirius and James both hid their O's and congratulated him. Remus received an Exceeds Expectations.

"I never figured out why they only have one E in that," Sirius said, as they left class an hour later. "I mean, it's two words… shouldn't it be EE?"

"Whatever you say, buddy," James said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, when we're… you know…" He looked around at the other students. "We should have nicknames. In fact, I already have yours," he said, turning to Remus. "Wolfman."

"That's dumb," Sirius said, as they walked through the halls. "Full Moon Man."

"Why does it have to end with man?" Remus asked.

"Moon Man," James said, ignoring Remus. "Full Moon Man's too long."

"So's Moon Man!"

"If you guys want to make it shorter," Peter said, "you could always make it… I don't know… Moony, maybe?"

"Moony's dumb," James scoffed, and Sirius elbowed him.

"No way, Moony rocks!"

"It sounds stupid," James retorted.

"How about we let Remus decide?" Sirius said, and the three turned to Remus, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"How about we revisit this issue in, say, three years?" he asked tentatively, and the three shrugged.

"Eh, sure," James said. "Though I still think Moony's a dumb name."

"Maybe a little," Sirius said. "But I still like it." Peter looked happy.

"God, I'm hungry," James said, as he rushed over to the food. He and Sirius immediately began to shovel food in their mouths.

"You know," Remus said mildly, "our… endeavor may take away from pranking time."

"No way!" the other Marauders exclaimed.

"Nothing takes away from pranking time!" Sirius added. "We just won't do homework."

"I like that," James said.

Remus groaned, shaking his head.

-

**Review please!**

**-PotterScar**


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